


Champion's Pet

by Kimmimaru



Series: The Slave and The Champion [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Flashbacks, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Intrusive Thoughts, M/M, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Slavery, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-01-05 18:00:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18371213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmimaru/pseuds/Kimmimaru
Summary: Earth was his home but now he's back Shiro doesn't feel like he belongs anymore. He and Keith have a job to do but between the Garrison's curiosity, Keith's strange behaviour and Matt's meddlesome little sister he's got his hands full.The Blue Lion awaits its paladin and Shiro and Keith must find it before the Galra find them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Second part to my Zarkon's Pet fic, please read that before reading this one or you won't know what's happening. Thanks for reading. :)

Shiro took a deep breath, “Galaxy Garrison this is Takashi Shirogane pilot of the Fortuna...do you copy?”  
  
Keith sat quietly in the pilots seat, watching Shiro lean over the back and broadcast his message to earth. He watched a drop of sweat slide slowly down his neck and soak into his ruined slave clothes.   
“Galaxy Garrison-”  
  
“ _Shiro_?!”  
  
A face flickered up on screen. An agonisingly familiar one. Shiro gasped, “Iverson, sir.” He muttered, lips numb with shock. It'd been so long.  
  
“Shirogane? Is that...god damn it boy. What the hell...I-” Iverson turned to someone off screen, “GET ME THE DAMNED ADMIRAL!” He screamed before turning back to Shiro.   
  
“Yeah it's me.” Shiro offered the haggard looking commander a small smile, “I'm coming home. Just-uh...wanted to give you some warning before we landed. Try not to shoot us down, sir.”  
  
Iverson stared at a screen beside the one showing Shiro's face, his singular eye screwed up, “What the hell _is_ that fucking thing you're flying?!”  
  
“A ship, sir...an...alien ship.” Shiro cleared his throat and shifted. “Look, we'll explain more when we land.”  
  
“We? Us? Who else is with you? Sam? Are the Holt's with you?”  
  
Shiro glanced at Keith and away again, “Well...no. Sir. I.” Shiro looked down, shame coiling in his belly, “I couldn't get them out. There wasn't any time and I-”  
  
“It's ok,” Iverson said quietly, “I'll expect a full report the second you land. If it's not the Holt's then who-what else is with you?”  
  
Shiro gestured to his side and the camera moved to show Keith.  
  
“A...boy?”  
  
“His name's Keith sir. Like I said I'll explain when we land.”  
  
Iverson chewed it over for a moment before nodding sharply, “Very well then. Permission granted but Shirogane?”  
  
“Yes sir?”  
  
“You'll be subjected to quarantine upon landing.”  
  
“Understood sir,”  
  
“Welcome home.” Iverson offered him a rare smile before the transmission ended.  
  
Shiro's shoulders slumped and he groaned, rubbing at his gritty eyes. Keith watched him, legs crossed in front of him and hands resting limply on his thighs. “Well, that went better than I expected.” Shiro sighed, turning a smile on Keith.  
  
“That man is...your master?”  
  
“No. He's my commanding officer.”  
  
“Oh.” Keith tilted his head, “So you were in the military.”  
  
“Yeah.” Shiro found himself a seat on a box of supplies, now severely depleted. He stared out the view screen and at the great blue and green orb that floated before them. Earth. He was home. He didn't feel as happy as he thought he should have been.  
  
The journey had been much faster than Shiro had been expecting. The Red Lion flew like nothing he'd ever seen before and Keith piloted like he'd been born for it. They had encountered little danger on their way, the worst being a rogue asteroid but Keith had dodged it like a pro. “Keith?”  
  
“Hm?” Keith muttered, fiddling with some controls.  
  
“When we land I'm gonna need you to not mention that you're half Galra.”  
  
Keith looked at him, “Ok.” He agreed.  
  
“Aren't you going to ask why?”  
  
“Why would I do that? You know why and that's all that matters.” Keith went back to keeping Red on course.  
  
Shiro shifted a little uncomfortably. Keith was proving to be misunderstanding exactly what they were. He treated Shiro like he had treated Zarkon and it made Shiro want to shake him. If Shiro told him to do something he never questioned it, even if it sounded strange to him. He followed orders to the letter and was compliant whenever Shiro kissed him. Shiro had yet to take it further, terrified that the only reason Keith was doing it was because Shiro wanted to. He didn't want to do that to him. Not that he wasn't tempted. Keith was a warm, welcome weight at his side during their night cycle. He was strong, pretty and had an ass Shiro would die for but it felt wrong. Keith was conditioned to say yes, to not refuse and he hated the idea of Keith being anything but totally willing.  
  
All too soon the Lion broke earth's atmosphere, Shiro braced himself but was surprised by the lack of turbulence as they raced towards the ground. He saw the Garrison approach at an incredible speed but just before Shiro thought they would crash Keith swerved, a smirk on his lips and fire in his eyes as he swung the lion around and slowly touched down. Shiro sucked in a breath, “Wow.” he muttered, “Nice flying.”  
  
“Thanks.” Keith beamed at him, cheeks flushed.  
  
They watched as men poured out of the Garrison and surrounded the lion, guns in hand but not raised. Shiro sighed and pushed the tuft of white hair from his eyes. “Ready to go?”  
  
“Yes sir.” Keith rose and waited for Shiro to walk out first.  
  
The next few hours was a rush of movement and sound. Shiro let himself and Keith be ushered into the quarantine area. Iverson was shouting orders, his bellows echoing through the hallways as curious cadets and lower ranked officers poked their heads out of doorways. Keith followed Shiro like a loyal dog but he was close by, eyes darting around like he was trying to absorb everything at once. Finally they were settled into their new home for the next three weeks. A small, two bed cell with clear doors and a room for showering and a toilet. The quarantine area where astronauts were sent to make sure they didn't bring back any mutated diseases.   
  
Shiro sank onto one of the small cots with a heavy groan, he lay back and put an arm over his eyes to shut out the painfully bright lights. Earth smelt familiar, memories flickering around in the back of his mind. He heard Keith shift and turned his head to see him hovering by the clear doors.  
  
“Hey, you ok?”  
  
“I'm fine.” Keith replied. His fingers touched the knife now couched securely in a holster at the base of his spine. “You should sleep.”  
  
“Won't get time for that. Iverson's called in the Admiral, she's on her way and I'll have to give them a full report of what happened.”  
  
Keith sank to the floor before the doors and made himself comfortable, “You should sleep, Shiro. I'll keep watch.”  
  
“We don't need a watch here, Keith. We're safe.” Despite his own words even he had a hard time believing it. His muscles were tense as if he were expecting a shadow to leap out and attack them. He swallowed and sighed, trying to relax. The room was blissfully silent for a while, the only sounds were their breathing and Keith shifting occasionally.  
  
All too soon Shiro was woken by a hard shake on his shoulder, he groaned and rolled onto his back. Slowly his eyes fluttered open but it was like he was trying to force heavy metal doors apart. He probably had a fight to get to but his muscles felt much too heavy, had they drugged him? Was he about to be dragged into the arena to be torn apart with no chance to defend himself? His heart spiked and he sat up so fast his head collided with something hard. He cursed and covered his forehead with a hand. When his eyesight came into focus again he saw a familiar face staring at him with wide purple eyes. “Keith?” He muttered thickly, slowly realising he wasn't back on Central. He turned and looked around. He was in a familiar room with bright electric lights that buzzed irritatingly. He was home. Shiro took a breath and turned back to Keith who was rubbing at his own forehead. “Sorry about that,”  
  
“It's ok. I woke you up because there's...people at the door.” Keith pointed and Shiro followed his finger.  
  
“Lieutenant Shirogane,”   
  
Shiro leapt to his feet, stumbling clumsily as he managed a sloppy salute while he continued to rub sleep from his eyes. “Admiral!” He straightened his posture, “M-Ma'am.”  
  
“At ease,” The Admiral peered past Shiro to the boy, he was skinny and had unusual coloured eyes which he fixed on her with animal intensity. “I have to admit, I along with the rest of the world, thought you were dead.” She said, turning her attention back to Shiro.  
  
“Yes, Ma'am...I...It's a long story.”  
  
“Well, I look forward to hearing it.” The Admiral looked back at the boy who was huddled in the shadowy corner and watching. “And who are you, boy?”  
  
The boy looked to Shiro who nodded his head, “I'm Keith.” He replied when given permission.  
  
“He was a slave of the...aliens who abducted me.” Shiro admitted, “I couldn't just leave him there, Ma'am.”  
  
“He's human. How did a human boy get all the way to deep space?”  
  
“He was abducted as a child, Ma'am. They killed his father when they discovered their home.”  
  
“So they've been to earth? We need to know, Lieutenant, are they a threat to us?”  
  
Shiro swallowed, “They're a threat to the entire universe,” He said quietly, eyes dropping to his feet as he frowned, “Everyone is in danger.”  
  
The Admiral turned and nodded at one of her underlings, they saluted and scurried off. “We are going to need everything you can tell us about the technology, weaponry, tactics. Everything, Lieutenant.”  
  
“I...I don't know much. I was a gladiator in their arena so tactics on an individual basis I can tell you and the weapons I saw but beyond that I can't say much.”  
  
“What about that one? Did he fight along side you?”  
  
“I was a bed slave,” Keith said, unashamed as he stared at the Admiral.  
  
There were a few gasps and mutters, “I see.” The Admiral looked ill, “Very well then, Lieutenant, Keith, I will be seeing you both as soon as your quarantine ends.”  
  
Iverson took Shiro's report next before repeating how he was glad to see Shiro alive and well before leaving them alone again. Shiro moved back to the bed and collapsed onto it, he beckoned Keith closer who curled up at his side and nuzzled Shiro's neck. “Are we prisoners here?” He whispered, hot breath against the stubble of Shiro's throat.   
  
Shiro tangled their fingers together and lifted them to his lips, pressing a kiss to Keith's knuckles, “No. They're just making sure we're not infected by any weird virus.”  
  
Keith shifted, “Ok.”  
  
Shiro let himself be lulled into a doze by Keith's soft breaths. He wasn't alone. He was warm and safe. But still, as darkness spread across the desert he woke in a cold sweat and a gasp. He couldn't remember much about his nightmare except that he had felt claws digging into his skin and sharp teeth at his throat. He scrabbled around, trying to find Keith but he couldn't. “Keith?” he mumbled thickly, “Keith?!”  
  
“I'm here.” Keith moved towards him in the dark and crouched by Shiro's bed, “I was just in the bathroom.” he smiled and brushed Shiro's hair from his eyes.  
  
“Mm, come back to bed.” Shiro reached out and pulled Keith back under the thin covers. Keith settled easily against him and closed his eyes. Shiro kissed his forehead and let himself relax again.  
  
A few days passed where they let Shiro and Keith rest. Finally Iverson arrived with a few doctors dressed in hazmat suits. Shiro was on the floor doing push ups while Keith lounged on the bed, watching him like a cat.   
  
“Lieutenant,” Iverson said and Shiro rose, wiping sweat from his face with his sleeve. The metal of his arm glinting. “These guys are gonna check you over, make sure you're healthy.”  
  
“Yes sir.” Shiro stepped back as the door opened and the doctors entered and started setting up equipment.  
  
Keith drew himself into the corner, frowning as they made Shiro sit down. Keith pulled himself from the bed and went to Shiro's side, “What are you doing?” He asked.  
  
“It's ok, Keith. They won't hurt us.”  
  
“Please take a seat,” One of the doctors indicated the other bed, “We just need to make sure you're not sick.”  
  
At Shiro's nod Keith moved to the bed and let them start poking at him.   
  
“Sir, his arm...”  
  
Shiro winced and tugged his metal arm out of their grip. “Lieutenant, where did you get that?” Iverson asked from his post by the door.  
  
“They...” Shiro swallowed, eyes closing as he fought back the mind-numbing terror and sound of a saw. “They took my arm and...replaced it.”  
  
Silence. The doctors exchanged looks with each other, “And they did this while you were conscious?!” Iverson's voice was filled with horror.  
  
“Yes sir. They gave me something so it wasn't painful exactly...”  
  
“Jesus Christ.” Iverson ran a hand down his face and shook his head, “What else did they do? Do we really wanna know?”  
  
Shiro laughed humourlessly, “I doubt you do.”  
  
“This is tech we've never seen before, sir.” The doctor said in awe, “It moves like a real limb.”  
  
“It's connected to his neural pathways...” The other doctor shook their head in amazement.  
  
“Can you give me a rundown on any tests they did on you, lieutenant?”  
  
Shiro shook his head slowly, eyes glassy, “No. I don't...remember.”  
  
The doctors looked down at his shaking hand and then glanced back up at Iverson, “Take it easy, Shirogane. We'll come back later if this is too much.”  
  
Shiro swallowed, “No, get it out of the way now.”  
  
“Ok. Arm out, we need to take some blood samples.”  
  
Keith watched them work with Shiro, eyes narrowed as they poked and prodded him. He met Shiro's gaze across the room and Shiro managed a small smile for him. Keith let the other doctor check his eyes, his reflexes and scan him with a hand-held scanner. “He seems in perfect health,” The doctor said and nodded to Iverson.  
  
They were given some fresh clothes and then the doctors gathered their equipment and left. Iverson lingered for a moment, “Shirogane, there's someone who'd like to visit if that's ok?”  
  
“Who, sir?” Shiro asked as Keith moved back to his side and settled himself at his feet on the floor.  
  
Iverson looked down and frowned a little at the odd behaviour but he didn't mention it, “Lieutenant Commander Wadaka.” He watched Shiro's eyes go wide and his mouth fall open.  
  
“A-Adam?”  
  
“You up for it?”  
  
Shiro took a deep breath, “I knew this was coming...Guess I'd better get it over with, sir.”  
  
Iverson nodded and grimaced, “We'd also like to offer you the option of therapy if you ever think you'll need it.”  
  
“Maybe, thanks sir.”  
  
Iverson turned and walked away.  
  
When they were alone again Shiro reached down and slid his hand under Keith's chin, tilting his head up so they could look at each other. “You don't have to do that.” He said, running his thumb gently over Keith's skin. Keith closed his eyes and pressed his mouth to Shiro's palm. “You're not a slave anymore, Keith.”  
  
“I'm yours, Shiro.” Keith replied instantly, opening his eyes, “this is where I belong.”  
  
“But I-”  
  
“Takashi.”  
  
Shiro jumped, head snapping up at the sound of his first name. He saw Adam stood at the doors, gazing at him with a stunned expression. Shiro let his hand fall away from Keith and rose, moving to the door. “Adam.” He swallowed, a whole host of confusing emotion swirling around his head.  
  
“I...” Adam shook his head, “You're alive.”  
  
“Yeah.” Shiro tried to smile but it felt stiff on his face, “And you got promoted.”  
  
“Jesus Shiro.” Adam licked his lips and ran a hand through his hair, “You look...stronger...”  
  
“When you're forced to fight to survive then that happens.” Shiro replied, shifting his feet and clearing his throat.  
  
“Your hair...”  
  
Shiro looked away, frowning into a corner and crossed his arms over his chest, “Stress I guess.”  
  
Adam's hand came up to his mouth and he let it drop again, “I never thought I'd see you again. I was at your funeral. I...I mourned you...we all did. And your mother...”  
  
“H-How is she?” Shiro looked up and Adam managed a smile.  
  
“Still going. I've been checking up on her as much as I can.”  
  
“Thank you, Adam.”  
  
Adam put his palm against the wall separating them, “I missed you.” he whispered, closing his eyes, “And I...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”  
  
Shiro sighed, “You did what was right, Adam. I won't deny that it hurt but...maybe we just weren't that compatible after all.”

Adam's eyes moved to Keith, “Who's that? Where did he come from?”

“His name's Keith. Keith, this is Adam...I...told you about him.”  
  
“Hi,” Keith replied, his shoulders hunched and his knees drawn to his chest as if he was trying to fold in on himself.  
  
“We met when I was imprisoned.” Shiro turned back to Adam, “He was a slave on their ship.”  
  
“A slave? Were you...?”  
  
“Yeah,” Shiro shivered.  
  
The following silence was awkward. Adam's eyes moved from Keith to Shiro and back again, making the connections. “Are you two...um...?”  
  
“He saved me.” Keith said quickly before Shiro could speak, “I owe him my life.”  
  
“I see...” Adam cleared his throat and eyed Shiro again, “He's a kid.”  
  
“He's eighteen.” Shiro insisted, rubbing at the back of his neck.   
  
“Takashi...” Adam bit his lower lip to stop himself from continuing, “I'm glad you're home.”  
  
“Yeah, me too...I think.”  
  
"I'll see you around then I guess." Adam smiled and turned away, leaving Shiro and Keith alone again.   
  


 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all my readers and for all the comments/kudos so far! I hope you enjoy this small chapter.

Keith sat on the floor, a tray of food before him as he ate cautiously. Shiro, already finished, set aside his tray and leaned back against the bed with a sigh. Keith picked up some bread between his fingers and inspected it curiously, frowning at the spongy texture before warily putting it in his mouth.   
  
“Foods not as good as my mom's but it reminds me of...better times.” Shiro said, smiling as he watched Keith's nose scrunch up.  
  
“Tastes funny.” Keith muttered, “Real Galran food is spicier.”  
  
“I spent all my time eating goop, this is like a luxury.”  
  
“Goop is okay, you just have to get used to it. Sustenance doesn't have to taste good, it just needs to keep you on your feet.” Keith swallowed the bread and took a sip of water, “What is this?” He poked a finger at a wobbly green substance.  
  
“Jello.”  
  
Keith poked it again and it jiggled, “Is it...alive?”  
  
“No,” Shiro laughed, “It's sweet...like a desert. Use that spoon there and try it.”  
  
Keith picked up the utensil and cut away a tiny piece, he stared at it for a moment before putting it in his mouth. A tart but sweet flavour hit his tongue and his eyes widened in surprise. “I...”  
  
“Good, right?”  
  
Keith blinked down at it, “I've had this before,” He whispered, “...I remember...a...a plate with a picture on it. An animal...and a voice...”   
  
“Keith?” Shiro moved closer, lifting a hand and cupping Keith's face.  
  
“He used to ruffle my hair.” He murmured.  
  
 _“You're a good kid, Keith. If your Ma could see you now she'd be real proud.”  
  
_ “ _Dad_.” Keith breathed, blinking himself out of the memory and looking up at Shiro, “I'd forgotten what he sounded like...”  
  
“Hey, it's ok.” Shiro held him close, smiling into his hair, “It's good that you got something back, right?”  
  
Keith smiled into Shiro's chest, eyes closing, “Thank you,” He muttered and Shiro ran his fingers through his hair.  
  
That night Keith and Shiro bedded down together, Shiro's arms wrapped around Keith's middle and holding tight.  
  
XXX  
  
Lance stood outside his dorm room door, looking left and right. Hunk crouched by his side, hands wringing together as they waited for the coast to clear.   
  
“Dude, is this really a good idea?”  
  
“It'll be fine, Hunk. Don't sweat it.”  
  
“But being out past curfew-”  
  
“Shh,” Lance hushed him, frowning as they both heard a set of light footsteps. They watched as a small figure rounded the corner and hurried down the corridor. “Where's he going?” Lance mused.  
  
“Who?”  
  
“That Pidge kid. You know, the newbie.”  
  
“I don't know Lance but I got a real bad feeling. Why don't we just go to the commissary and grab some food?”  
  
“Nah, I gotta know what he's up to. Come on Hunk.”  
  
Hunk groaned as Lance scuttled, not so subtly, from their hiding place and followed Pidge. They followed him through the barracks and out the door into the chilly night, they rounded the building and headed across the drill yard towards a group of low buildings usually off-limits to cadets.   
  
“Oh man, oh man, oh man.”  
  
“Hunk, shut up!” Lance hissed, pressing a finger to his lips before ducking down behind a bush to avoid a patrol.  
  
They watched as the figure knelt before a door and plugged in a tablet. Dim light glinted off of their glasses before the light on the door lock turned green. Pidge entered the building and Lance and Hunk were close behind.  
  
XXX  
  
Shiro's eyes snapped open just as Keith leapt out of bed. He scrambled upright, pushing covers off as panic made cold sweat break out across his skin, “Keith?” He hissed, seeing Keith's shadow fall into a low crouch. There was a hissing sound and the doors to quarantine opened. “Who...what's going on...?” Shiro moved to stand before the door but Keith stepped in front of him, knife glinting in the low lighting.  
  
“H-hello?”  
  
“Who is it?” Shiro called, putting a calming hand on Keith's shoulder and feeling how tense his muscles were.  
  
“Takashi Shirogane? Is that you?” A tiny figure stepped out of the gloom, glasses perched on the end of a small nose and eyes bright in the reflected light of a tablet clutched in their hands. The sandy, messy hair made Shiro's knees go weak. He gripped Keith's shoulder even harder as a familiar face swam before his eyes like a dream.  
  
“M-Matt...?” Shiro rasped, “What...I don't...”  
  
“I'm not Matt.” The person said, taking a breath and straightening their shoulders in determination, “My name's Katie Holt.”  
  
Shiro's breath left him in a rush and he relaxed, “Katie? Matt's little sister?” He breathed, “I didn't know you two looked so alike.”  
  
“Yeah well, I had to cut my hair to disguise myself and get into the Garrison. Look, Shiro, Matt and Dad told me a lot about you.”  
  
“Oh...” Shiro didn't know what to say to that, he looked to Keith who still hadn't relaxed. “Keith, it's ok. I sort of know her.”  
  
Keith looked back at him for a moment before finally relenting. His hand dropped from his knife and he stepped back.  
  
“What are you doing here? You should be-”  
  
“I know. I just...” Katie's lip wobbled but she fixed a firm look onto her face and curled her hands into fists at her sides, “I need to know what happened to my dad and brother. Please, I need the truth. Are...are they really dead? Everyone's saying they are but...but you're here. You're alive and-”  
  
Shiro stepped closer to the door, “Katie-”  
  
“Call me Pidge.”  
  
“Ok, Pidge. Look, I shouldn't be telling you this. Iverson will kill me if he finds out but we were taken when we got to Kerberos. Taken and imprisoned. I don't really remember a whole lot but Matt and Sam were taken somewhere else while I was made to fight in their arena. I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you more.”  
  
“So...so they could be alive?” Pidge's eyes filled with hope.  
  
“They might be-”  
  
Keith tugged on Shiro's sleeve and made both of them look at him, “Sam...he was an old guy yeah?”  
  
“Kind of.” Shiro replied.  
  
“I heard he was sent to a prison where they keep a bunch of other scientists. They're forced to work on Galran tech. I don't know about the other one.”  
  
Pidge's eyes snapped to Keith, “How do you know this?”  
  
“I was given to one of the men who was on rotation there a while back and he liked to talk,” Keith shrugged.  
  
“So he's alive. He's...really alive?” Pidge's eyes widened and she hugged her tablet to her chest.   
  
“He might be.” Keith said.  
  
“How can we get him back? How did you get back to earth?” Pidge asked, adjusting her glasses and returning her attention to Shiro.  
  
“We came here in an alien ship but Pidge-”  
  
“I have to find him. You don't understand-”  
  
“AHAH!”   
  
Everyone jumped, Pidge turning towards the doors where two boys stood. One was pointing at Pidge accusingly while the other hung back and offered them all an awkward sort of wave. Keith pushed in front of Shiro again protectively, lips pulling back from his teeth as he drew his knife.  
  
“Keith! Keith put that away!” Shiro grabbed his wrist and tried to push his arm back down by his side. “They're just Garrison cadets!”  
  
“So, sneaking into quarantine to get a free interview with _the_ Takashi Shirogane, huh?!”  
  
“What? No.” Pidge frowned, “Lance, what are you even doing here?”  
  
“We could ask you the same question! You should be in your dorm!”  
  
“Lance-”  
  
“Shh, Hunk. I got this.” Lance squared his shoulders and folded his arms across his chest, “So what have you been doing, Pidge?”  
  
“I've been trying to...to...find out about some weird signals I've been picking up.” Pidge stuttered, eyes shifting away and back again, “I thought maybe these guys would know what they were.”  
  
“Signals?” Shiro frowned, “What kind of signals.”  
  
Pidge started tapping on her tablet before turning it to show Shiro, “There's some weird communications I've picked on some old equipment I managed to put together. I don't understand what they're saying.” She played one of the audio files for them and Keith stiffened at Shiro's side.  
  
“It's them.” He whispered, turning to look at Shiro, “They're looking for-”  
  
“What's voltron?” Pidge interrupted.   
  
Keith clammed up, folding his arms over his chest. Shiro sighed, “It's...a long story.”  
  
“Well, we've got all night.” Pidge lowered herself down to the ground and sat there, arms folded and a determined frown on her face.  
  
Lance moved closer curiously while Hunk stood uncertainly by the door, “Guys we really shouldn't be in here.” He was ignored.  
  
“Ok...so...a long time ago...like, ten thousand years ago, an alien King made five lion-shaped space ships...” Shiro told them the story of Voltron and their Paladins, or as much as he knew of them. Then he explained that Keith was a Paladin too and they had both escaped Galran imprisonment in his lion. “So, we came back to earth to look for the one here.”  
  
“There's one of these lion things here?” Hunk asked nervously, “Oh boy this doesn't sound good.”  
  
“Well, we're here to protect it. Make sure it doesn't fall into their hands.” Shiro assured him.  
  
“It's here. I can...feel it.” Keith scratched absently at his lower arm, eyes glazed as he stared off into the distance.  
  
“You can feel it?” Pidge arched an eyebrow in disbelief.  
  
“Yeah. They have a unique energy signal. It's like...something whispering in the back of my head.”  
  
Shiro nodded vaguely, “I kind of got that feeling when you touched red.” He muttered.  
  
“So, if these alien guys are as dangerous as you say they are Shiro, how come you're just...sat in here?” Lance asked.  
  
“Because we have to be. We can't just leave if we're carrying anything.” Shiro said, “Besides, it'll take them a while to get here.”  
  
“They're close enough for me to pick up their signals,” Pidge reminded them, “How much longer of quarantine have you guys have?”  
  
“A few days at most.” Shiro shrugged, “We can't do much at the moment.”  
  
Pidge frowned thoughtfully into the distance, “I might be able to figure out their distance if I find out which satellites they're pinging off and extrapolate-”  
  
“Yeah, yeah ok. So you get out of quarantine and go find this...lion-ship-thing? Then what?” Lance ignored Pidge's glare.  
  
“I don't know. We didn't really get that far in our thinking, kind of had a lot of other stuff on our minds like trying not to get caught again.” Shiro frowned.

 

“Red can find the blue lion.” Keith assured them, “We don't need help.”  
  
“Keith, relax.” Shiro said gently, putting a hand on his arm.  
  
“Woah, we're gonna help them? Seriously? Did you guys forget about the universe crushing aliens?” Hunk shuddered, holding himself, “Makes me sick just thinking about it.”  
  
“What choice do we have? We gotta save the world!” Lance grinned.  
  
“You're not coming with us!” Keith exclaimed angrily, glaring at Lance, “Shiro doesn't need you. He's got me.”  
  
“He's got you? A skinny little no-body-”  
  
“That's enough!” Shiro snapped, causing Keith to shrink back a little like Shiro was about to hit him. “It's late. You all woke us up and you all should be in bed, ok? Go back to your dorms and get some sleep, right now none of us are going anywhere.”  
  
“Alright. Fine.” Lance slumped, “But when you do go, we're coming with you.”   
  
Hunk groaned but nodded glumly, “Nice to meet you anyway,” He muttered, walking with Lance to the door.  
  
“You too Pidge,” Shiro said in a slightly kinder voice, “Go to bed.”  
  
Pidge pouted but rose and did as he said.  
  
When they were gone Shiro sigehd and ran a hand through his hair, then he turned to Keith and stepped back in surprise. Keith was prostrate at his feet, forehead to the floor and trembling like a leaf. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn.” He muttered, not daring to risk raising his head. Shiro swallowed bile and crouched before him, lifting a hand to touch his shoulder but Keith flinched back violently.   
  
“Keith? Keith? It's ok. I'm not mad, I promise. You can get up, I don't want this...you don't have to apologise for anything.”   
  
“I spoke out of turn. I shouldn't have. I need to be punished.” Keith whispered, curling up even further as his finger nails dug into his arms. “Punish me.”  
  
“No.” Shiro shook his head and reached out again, gently laying his hand on Keith's head, “You don't need to be punished. You didn't do anything wrong. I swear, I'm never going to hurt you, Keith.”  
  
Slowly Keith lifted his head, eyes wide with animalistic terror, “But I-”  
  
“You're not a slave anymore, you don't need to act like one.”  
  
Keith licked his lips slowly before uncurling, Shiro reached out and dragged him into his arms. “Come on, lets get back to bed.” Gently Shiro lifted Keith to his feet and together they went back to bed. Keith curled up against him and shivered as Shiro stroked his hair, warily Keith tilted his head up and met Shiro's gaze. His eyes flashed faintly yellow but it was nowhere near the same intensity as it had been. He pushed himself further up, closer until their lips brushed. Shiro's fingers tightened in Keith's hair and their mouths slotted together. Shiro closed his eyes as Keith let him explore his mouth with his tongue. Keith's hips pressed closer, his shirt rising so his bare stomach pressed against Shiro's. Shiro moaned into Keith's mouth, a small frown on his face as he rolled Keith onto his back. “Keith,” He whispered, pressing kisses to his jaw, “Keith...” Keith hummed, hands sliding up Shiro's sides beneath his own shirt. Fingers, cooled by the air, brushed his abs and rose further until they found his pecs. Keith squeezed, hips shifting, pressing harder against Shiro. “ _Fuck_...Keith wait.” Shiro grabbed Keith's wrists in his hands and held them still, trying to catch his breath, “We can't.”  
  
Keith cocked his head to the side, “Why?”  
  
“Because...” Shiro looked down into Keith's pretty, flushed face, “Because I'm not sure if you really want this.”  
  
“It's my job, Shiro. Let me make you feel good.”  
  
“That's the problem. It's not your job anymore, Keith. I don't want to do this with someone who doesn't really want it.”  
  
“I do.” Keith assured him breathlessly, he tried to untangled his wrists from Shiro's hands, “I want you Shiro.”  
  
“I...”  
  
“Please, I'll make it good. As good as last time. I need you to fuck me.”  
  
“Keith...” Shiro groaned when Keith undulated beneath him, thin body pressing against his. Firm muscles working beneath soft skin. “Keith please,”  
  
“Shiro...” Keith pushed himself up and pressed his lips to Shiro's.  
  
“We don't have any lube.” Shiro whispered, frowning even as Keith worked his pants down.   
  
“Then we'll just make do.” Keith assured him, “Let me make it up to you. For...for not doing right.”  
  
Shiro couldn't say anything as Keith extracted his wrists from his loosened hold and curled his fingers around his cock. He groaned and closed his eyes.  
  
It took an embarrassingly small amount of time for Shiro to come into Keith's fist. He hissed Keith's name into his ear as he trembled through his orgasm, hips jerking and breath shaky. When he was done he rolled off of Keith and sighed, rubbing at his face as guilt consumed him. Keith licked Shiro's come from his fingers with a small moan, causing another tremor of pleasure to rock Shiro's core. “Fuck Keith,” He moaned.  
  
“Do...do you feel better?” Keith asked hesitantly, moving closer and touching Shiro's face with his now clean hand.  
  
“Yeah...I...actually do.”  
  
Keith smiled sleepily at him, “Good.” He closed his eyes and settled down. Shiro could feel his own erection pressing to his side.  
  
“Do you need me to-uh...take care of you?”  
  
Keith shook his head, “This is fine.”  
  
Shiro bit on his lower lip but soon Keith's breathing evened out and his hands relaxed, fingers twitching a little. Shiro forced himself up and he slid from beneath Keith and went to get a damp towel. He cleaned Keith up and then settled back down to sleep.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, this chapter contains Shiro having a flashback. It is unlikely to be realistic but I did do research into PTSD flashbacks and tried my best to make it as accurate as possible so if it's off please forgive me.

Keith slipped on the baggy t-shirt he had been given by the Garrison and the matching plain pants. He stared at himself in the mirror in the quarters he'd been given and sighed. They felt strange against his skin, he missed his loose robes. He tangled one hand in the bottom of the shirt and turned away from his reflection, shoulders hunched as if he was trying to disappear into himself.  
  
His door opened to reveal Shiro dressed in an olive green jacket and pants, he smiled, “Hey, how are you feeling?”  
  
“Fine.” Keith felt his stomach flip over as he fought the desire to drop to his knees. Shiro looked good in his uniform, it was a little tight across the chest but fit him well enough.   
  
“I thought you'd want to grab some food.”  
  
Keith nodded and followed Shiro out of the room and into the hall. There were people walking back and forth, many of them looked at them with wide eyes. Whispers followed. Keith lengthened his pace to keep up with Shiro's confident stride. They turned down another corridor and headed towards a room that had some delicious smells coming from it. Shiro went inside and Keith followed, peering cautiously around his shoulder to see a large, open room full of people in various styles of uniform. Shiro went towards a line of open windows where people cued up with trays, he grabbed two trays and handed Keith one. Keith clutched it to his chest like a shield as he endured people staring at him. They made it to the serving area and Shiro started pointing to dishes, Keith watched him intently, listening for the names of the dishes before it was his turn. He ordered the same as Shiro as a knot of anxiety sat in his stomach.   
  
They then turned around and Shiro spotted a small group of people around a table, one of them rose and waved. Shiro glanced at Keith before tilting his head in the direction of the people waving them over. Keith recognised the one called Adam. He followed Shiro over to them and Shiro slid into a seat opposite his ex. Keith stood stock still, eyes fixed on Shiro.  
  
“Keith?” Shiro asked carefully, “Are you ok?”  
  
Keith swallowed, “Where do you want me to sit?” He asked.  
  
Shiro looked at his side where there was a space on the bench, “Anywhere you like.”  
  
Slowly Keith started lowering himself onto the floor but Shiro's eyes widened and he reached out and carefully grabbed his arm, “No no. It's ok, you don't have to sit on the floor.”  
  
“But I-”  
  
“Keith, just sit by me. Please.”   
  
Keith's eyes widened and he looked at the spot like it was about to bite him, “I'm...not supposed to sit with you.” He whispered hoarsely, acutely aware of everyone staring at him. He tightened his grip on the plastic tray in his hands, the drink sloshing as he tried not to shake.   
  
Shiro sighed and gently took Keith's tray from his shaking hands, “I'm giving you permission to sit with me.” He insisted and patted the bench. Keith slowly sank onto it, perched on the end and hung his head.  
  
Adam cleared his throat, glancing from Keith to Shiro and back again, “So...Keith, is it?”  
  
“Yes.” Keith muttered, staring at his tray as his stomach rumbled. He gripped the bench in a white knuckled grip and tried not to throw up.  
  
“You were...taken by the same aliens that took Shiro?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Where did you live before that?”  
  
Keith looked up, glancing over at Shiro uncertainly but Shiro was eating. “I lived in a desert.” He said, “An old shack I think.”  
  
“Oh.” Adam blinked and adjusted his glasses, “That's...nice.”  
  
“Adam.” Shiro warned carefully, “He doesn't remember much about his past, ok?”  
  
“Yeah, sorry.”  
  
The silence was awkward, one of the other officers coughed and took a sip of his drink. “So, Shiro, it's really good to see you back.” He smiled, “When I heard you'd gone missing...well, everyone was pretty messed up.”  
  
Shiro looked down at his food for a moment, suddenly not quite as hungry as before, “Yeah.” He breathed and forced another spoonful of cafeteria mac and cheese into his mouth, it should have tasted good, it was his favourite food but it just tasted like ash.  
  
Keith stared at his food, unable to touch it. Even the wobbly jello that sat sadly in it's own little area of the tray. He watched the light play off it and wished Shiro had let him sit on the floor. He was in a strange place, surrounded by strange people and he needed something familiar to ground him. His chest felt tight, his head spinning and he realised he was struggling to breathe. He tried to suck in some air but it got stuck somewhere in his throat and he ended up making a strange wheezing sound.   
  
“Keith?!” Adam's eyes widened and he rose, rounding the table and crouching before the boy. “Takashi, he's hyperventilating.”  
  
Shiro jerked, shocked out of his own head. He turned and grabbed Keith's shoulder, turning him to face him. “Keith!” He cupped the side of his white face and watched his hands clench and unclench. “Keith, I need you to listen to me, ok? I need you to _breathe_.” Shiro ordered, panic making him harsh. “Breathe, Keith. In and out, like me.” He took a deep breath and slowly released it, “Do it slow.”  
  
Keith listened to the orders and nodded weakly, closing his eyes and taking a shuddering breath in at the same time as Shiro.   
  
“That's it. Good.” Shiro breathed in again, watching Keith's chest expand with him. “And again, Keith.”  
  
It took a while but Keith eventually started to feel less foggy, he blinked as his tunnel vision receded. He stared into Shiro's strained face and lifted his hand, holding Shiro's wrist shakily. “I'm sorry.” He muttered weakly.  
  
“It's ok. Don't be sorry.” Shiro assured him, smiling softly as he ran his thumb over Keith's cheek bone.  
  
“I can't eat with you.” Keith continued, closing his eyes and shaking his head, “It's wrong.”  
  
“Ok, well...I won't ask you to do it again, ok? We'll just have to take baby steps.”  
  
Keith swallowed and hung his head, “I'm sorry.” He repeated.  
  
“It's fine. You want to go back to your rooms?”  
  
Keith nodded, still refusing to look up as his nails started to dig into the thick scar tissue on his wrists. Shiro released him reluctantly, “Ok. You go back and I'll see you in a bit.”  
  
Keith rose to his feet, stumbling a little as he tried to move around the bench but he managed to walk towards the door. Shiro watched him go, chewing his lip anxiously.  
  
“Takashi...what happened to him?” Adam asked, taking Keith's vacated seat.  
  
“A lot of really bad stuff.” Shiro said quietly and frowned at the remnants of his food.  
  
Adam looked down at his shaking hand, the strange emptiness in his eyes. “If you need anyone to talk to...”  
  
“Iverson already offered me a therapist, Adam. I'm fine.”  
  
“I'm not qualified but we're all taught the signs, there's a good chance you have-”  
  
“I said I'm _fine_.” Shiro stood up, picking up his and Keith's trays. “I'll see you around.” He walked off, leaving Adam watching after him.  
  
Keith and Shiro had both been given separate rooms next to each other. Keith stepped inside his own and leaned against the closed door a moment. He stared down at the shoes they had given him before kicking them off, he curled his toes and then stripped off his baggy pants. He threw them aside and felt a little better in less clothing. Then he went to the bed and lay down on it, curling up on his side and gripped his knife.  
  
Shiro lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Everything was much too quiet. He could hear the steady tick of a clock on the bedside table, he could hear his own breathing. He clenched his metal hand into a fist and heard the tiniest clink of metal fingers against his palm. The fingers on his human hand began to count imaginary beats in his head. He closed his eyes and frowned, hearing the regular thud, thud, thud of metal feet against a metal corridor. He sucked in a breath and heard the sound of someone in another cell crying. He shuddered and rolled onto his side, covering his head with his hands as he pressed his forehead against his knees. The nails on his remaining hand dug into his scalp, the pain barely registering as he breathed in through his nose and smelt the tang of salt and copper.   
  
A scream had Shiro falling out of bed with a cry, his arm activated with a violent sounding hum as he raised it. He searched the room with wide eyes, panic searing his chest. He heard the clash of swords, the sound of someone sobbing, something being dragged across sand and-  
  
Another scream that echoed through the nearby wall. Shiro grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled, hard enough to hurt. He gasped, forcing himself up. “Keith...” He muttered, eyes still searching for the enemy, “K-Keith...where are you?! _Keith_!” He called out the name and struggled to the door, it opened and he stumbled into the hall, turning left and right. Another cry and then a terrible, heart breaking sob. Shiro's heart tripled in speed as he found the door and slammed his Galran hand against the scanner. The doors hissed open and he almost fell through in his haste. “Keith!” He saw Keith curled in a corner, scratches down his face and arms as he stared wild-eyed at a shadowy corner. Shiro blinked, his mind still hazy before he turned back to Keith and dropped to his knees. He pulled him in against his chest and held him tight. “I won't let them hurt you.” He whispered into Keith's hair, “I won't let anything happen to you.”   
  
Keith shuddered in his arms, fingers digging into his biceps. He closed his eyes and buried his face against Shiro, taking a deep breath.  
  
Iverson, alerted by the evening patrol, raced around the corner of the barracks hallway. He ran down the corridor towards where a small group of people were gathered, all staring into a room. “Out of the way!” He demanded and they cleared a path for him. He pushed his way through and looked into the dark room. He saw Shiro gripping Keith like a life line, face buried in his hair and Keith shaking against him. Keith's fingers dug into Shiro's bare back. Iverson choked when he saw the deep, ragged scarring across Shiro's flesh. He put a hand to his mouth as if to push back the exclamation of horror that sat behind his teeth. “Lieutenant...” Iverson stepped forward, his voice cracking when Shiro turned on him, eyes narrowed and empty looking. His face twisted into a vicious snarl as he lifted his metal arm which was glowing a sickly purple.

  
“Stay away! Get away from him!” Shiro growled, his expression nothing short of feral.  
  
Iverson baulked. Halting a few feet away. A few people behind him crowded forward eagerly but Iverson turned on them, “Get back you idiots! Go back to your dorms, now!”  
  
“Sir? What's wrong with him?” Adam's voice was clear as he too pushed himself through the now dispersing crowd.  
  
“Wadaka, stay where you are.” Iverson warned.  
  
Adam came to a halt beside Iverson and stared. He watched Shiro hunch protectively over Keith's half-naked body. He saw the horrific scars covering Shiro from the waist up. Adam froze as Shiro fixed him with a wild stare. “Oh Takashi...”  
  
Iverson took a deep breath and let it out again slowly, he crouched then and put himself on Shiro's level. He watched Shiro drag Keith further back into the corner, “Lieuten-no...Shiro. You're having a flashback,” He said gently, not moving even as he heard Adam shift uncertainly behind him. He rested his arms over his knees and kept his voice low and calm, “Do you know where you are, boy?”  
  
Shiro swallowed, shaking his head rapidly.   
  
“Ok. That's fine. Can you describe where you are?” Iverson settled himself onto the floor when his legs started cramping, he winced as his knees clicked.  
  
“...I...” Shiro's voice was wrecked, cracked and broken. He looked around himself, his expression vague, “There's...purple lights,” he whispered, hand curling into a fist as if he was preparing to throw a punch. “Purple lights and...d-dark...I-I...” He shook his head rapidly and blinked. “No...No. There's a bed. A-A desk...”   
  
“Good. I need you to breathe, Shiro. Just take a deep breath in and let it out real slow, ok?”  
  
Shiro closed his eyes, hugging Keith tighter until he made a small sound of mild discomfort but the feeling of Keith's nails in his back held him steady. He started to breathe.   
  
“Good boy. What else can you see?”  
  
“A chair.” Shiro whispered, voice hoarse and weak. “A clock. Numbers.”  
  
“What numbers?”  
  
“Zero...one...twenty three...”  
  
Iverson nodded, “How're you feeling now?”  
  
Shiro swallowed again, his throat too dry. “Better.” He managed thickly, slowly relaxing his grip on Keith but refusing to let him go completely.  
  
“Takashi...” Adam began but hesitated when he saw Shiro tense up again. His eyes zeroed in on what looked like a set of teeth marks on Shiro's shoulder. He swallowed back bile.  
  
“Best leave him to me, I know what I'm doing. Go back to bed, Wadaka.”  
  
“Y-Yes sir...” Adam turned and left reluctantly, glancing back to see Shiro press a kiss to Keith's hair.  
  
“Keith?” Shiro slowly pulled Keith back away from him and inspected his pale face, he took hold of Keith's chin in a gentle grip and tilted his head to the light. “Are you ok?”   
  
“'M fine. It was just a dream.” Keith muttered, eyes moving away from Shiro's. In the dark they glowed a dim gold.  
  
Shiro stroked hair from his face with shaking fingers, his eyes burned with a sudden, almost violent savagery. Without thought he pressed a kiss to Keith's mouth. “No one's gonna hurt you anymore.” He promised, “I'm staying here tonight, sir.” Shiro turned back to Iverson who was watching the scene with an unreadable expression.  
  
“Fine. If you feel better doing that.” Iverson heaved himself to his feet, using the wall as support. “I've seen some shit in my life, Lieutenant but whatever happened to you two ain't gonna hold a candle to it.”   
  
Shiro watched his commander leave and then let out a long, slow sigh. “C'mon, let's try and get some sleep.” He whispered and helped Keith to his feet. They collapsed back into bed, Keith snuggled close to Shiro and held him tight. Shiro gripped him back with equal fervour. Neither slept.   
  
XXX  
  
“Shirogane, please take a seat.”   
  
Shiro glanced behind him at Keith before taking one of the seats facing Admiral Sanda's desk. Keith sank to his knees beside him.   
  
“Keith? You don't have to-”  
  
“I can't sit in a chair.” Keith replied, eyes on the floor, “I'm...not worthy to sit on the same level as my master.”  
  
“Keith,” Shiro muttered uncomfortably, “That's not what I am. We're not-it's not like that-”  
  
The Admiral arched an eyebrow, “Shirogane, what is this?”  
  
“I'm sorry, Ma'am, he's been a slave since he was a child. He doesn't know how to be free.”  
  
“I see.” Sanda cleared her throat, “Very well then, he can sit wherever he likes.”   
  
“Thank you, Ma'am.”  
  
Keith's shoulders relaxed and he let out a quiet sigh before leaning comfortably against Shiro's leg.   
  
“So, explain to me exactly what happened. Iverson took your report when you were in quarantine but the details are hazy.” Sanda shuffled through some papers on her desk and withdrew Shiro's initial report.   
  
Shiro took a deep breath before launching into his story, he kept the details of what happened during his imprisonment light but even so recounting the events was painful. While he spoke he unconsciously curled his fingers into Keith's hair, grounding himself as he stared at the floor. He told them he was put into the arena, he told them about how he first met Keith. He explained that they removed his arm and replaced it with a weapon. He told them that he had no idea what exactly had happened to Sam and Matt except to tell them what Keith had heard. When he finished he was shaking.  
  
“This is disturbing news indeed, Lieutenant.” Sanda sighed, “And I am sorry you had to go through it. One thing I am confused about, what role does Keith play in all this? You told me he too was a slave...a bed slave?”  
  
“Yes, Ma'am...he was...” Shiro glanced down at Keith who looked up at him through his hair, “You'd better tell her.”  
  
Keith shifted, “I was taken as a child by the Galra and trained to become Zarkon's personal slave. He took a liking to me because I was rebellious. He said he liked my fire. So I was given an education in Galran culture, I can speak three of their dialects and can use several different styles of martial art. I was given tasks like pouring Zarkon's wine and serving food. When I was old enough I was then used as a pleasure slave like so many others, only...I was special. I was Zarkon's favourite.” He lifted his head proudly.  
  
Sanda looked ill as she glanced at Shiro, “So you speak their language?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“And what about war tactics?”  
  
Keith nodded, “I was with Zarkon all the time, even during meetings.”  
  
“We need that information, boy.”  
  
“I...I can't.”  
  
“Keith,” Shiro put a hand on his shoulder, “It's ok. You're not a slave anymore.”  
  
Keith swallowed and then told them everything he knew about how the Galra took over planets. He explained their use of Zaiforge canons and the layout of a basic Galran war ship. He told them how the Galra put down rebellions.  
  
When he was done his face was flushed and he was digging his finger nails so deep into his wrists blood started to appear. Shiro looked down and grabbed his wrists gently, “Keith.” He muttered, sliding off of his chair and drawing him close, “It's ok. You've done well,”  
  
Keith buried his face in Shiro's neck and breathed in, “Zarkon will kill me.” He whispered, “When he comes, he'll kill me.”  
  
“Keith, he's already tried.”  
  
“I know but...”  
  
“It's ok. I'll never let them hurt you again, I promise.” Shiro drew away and looked into Keith's eyes, “Trust me.”  
  
Keith nodded stiffly, “Ok.”  
  
Sanda soon dismissed them to review what she'd learned. Shiro and Keith went back to their room and huddled together on the bed. “We should start searching for the blue lion tomorrow.” Shiro whispered into Keith's hair, “I need to get out of here and do something.”  
  
“Red knows where the blue lion is, Shiro. We can find her.”  
  
“I know. We'll get a pass and take the hoverbikes out, Red can guide us.”  
  
Keith nodded, “Hoverbikes?”  
  
“Yeah. You'll like them, I promise.” Shiro offered Keith a small smile.  
  
“Shiro?” Keith fiddled absently with Shiro's collar, they were still mostly dressed and Keith was quickly growing uncomfortable.   
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Do I have to wear these clothes?”   
  
“Oh...well, maybe we should get you some new ones-”  
  
“No. I mean...Don't human's wear anything a bit less...covering?”  
  
“Oh. Keith, it's not really appropriate to walk around in just a t-shirt no matter how low it hangs.”  
  
Keith frowned, “But I hate it. I was never allowed to wear anything that totally covered me up, Zarkon needed to have access to my body whenever he wanted. Don't...don't _you_ want that?”  
  
Shiro's cheeks flushed, “Well...I guess in private you could maybe wear just a t-shirt. I-I wouldn't mind.”  
  
Keith huffed, “Fine. Human's are weird.”  
  
Shiro laughed, stroking hair from Keith's face, “We kinda are.” He muttered and pressed a kiss to the corner of Keith's mouth, “You wanna take those horrible clothes off now?” He whispered, voice low and hands eager as they slid down Keith's sides to hook into the waistband of Keith's trousers.  
  
“Uh-huh.” Keith replied, kissing Shiro back, “Yeah.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Please enjoy and thanks so much for all your comments and Kudos! I really appreciate all of them. The search for Blue has begun. 
> 
> Also: Please be warned for intrusive thoughts from Shiro. It can be a symptom of PTSD so no, he's not a bad person.

Shiro stood in the shadows. Dressed just in his boxers he stared at the lumpy shape of Keith who lay on his front, arms under the pillow and face turned towards the wall. The blankets were pulled down to reveal the top of his round ass. Shiro's fingers curled into tight fists, he grit his teeth as he stared. It would have been so easy for him to crawl on top of Keith's sleeping form, to pull apart his cheeks and press his tongue inside. He could force his cock into Keith's body, tear him open and listen to him scream. Shiro flinched. Stepping backwards until his back hit the wall. His breath came in heaving gasps as panic gripped him. And still, the thoughts wouldn't stop. He could snap Keith's neck so easily. He could plunge his Galran hand right through his vulnerable chest and watch blood stain his skin. He could-  
  
Shiro turned away, running for the door. It hissed as it opened and he found himself in the hall, breathing hard as if he'd run a mile. He pushed a shaking hand into his hair and pulled it, turning left and right as he wondered where he could go. He had to get away from Keith. He had to get away until these thoughts stopped. His feet moved before his conscious mind caught up. He walked a few doors to the left and found himself standing outside a familiar door. Shiro knocked before he could talk himself out of it. Keith wasn't safe. Not while Shiro was thinking about how it would feel to rape and murder him. Shiro curled his arms around his stomach and hung his head. The door opened.  
  
“Takas-”  
  
“Adam.” Shiro's voice broke and he stumbled forward, pressing his forehead against Adam's shoulder. He shook violently as Adam tensed. “ _Please._..I need help...”  
  
Adam hesitated before sighing and lifting an arm around Shiro's shoulders, gently he guided him into the room. He walked Shiro over to the small kitchenette and Shiro slumped down on the stool while Adam made him some tea, “Really...I don't know why you came to me of all people.”  
  
Shiro rubbed at his bare arm, frowning at the counter top, “I...I don't know...I'm sorry.”  
  
“It's ok.” Adam waited for the kettle to boil before turning around, “Takashi, what happened?”  
  
“I...” Shiro bit his lip and shivered, “I've been...having these thoughts. About Keith. And I-I...I'm scared. I'm so scared I'm gonna hurt him.”  
  
“What kind of thoughts?” Adam asked as the kettle whistled and he turned to turn off the stove and fill two cups.  
  
“Bad ones.” Shiro whispered as Adam set down his cup, he curled his fingers around it and clutched it like a life line. He watched the tea bag float around in the water while Adam made himself comfortable.  
  
“I can't help you if you don't actually talk to me.” Adam sighed, stirring his tea.  
  
Shiro swallowed and dropped his head to the counter, he closed his eyes, “I want to hurt him.” He whispered, fingers scraping at the marble as he curled them, “I want to force him onto the floor and rip his clothes off.” He swallowed and shivered.  
  
Adam shifted, obviously uncomfortable, “Are you two...together?”  
  
“I don't know. Would it matter? Adam, I want to rape him.” Shiro laughed humourlessly, “And you know what? He'd let me. I could do _anything_ to him and he'd just...take it. I could strangle him and it wouldn't matter if he got scared or I hurt him he'd let it happen. I'm pretty sure he'd let me break his neck, hell, he'd probably even help me do it.”  
  
“Christ.” Adam whispered faintly, shaking his head, “What happened to you two?”  
  
Shiro made a strange sound in the back of his throat, still not lifting his head, “They took away my humanity.” He whispered finally after a long moment of silence. “They s-saved my life by healing my muscular dystrophy and-and made me kill for them.”  
  
Adam sucked in air through his teeth, the sound loud in the quiet kitchen, “Takashi...They didn't. They didn't take away your humanity. You're having these thoughts but you're not acting on them, instead you're here with me.”  
  
“I had a master. His name was Sendak.” Shiro continued, unable to stop now that he'd started. “He tied me to his bed.”  
  
“T-Takashi...”  
  
“He was eight feet tall and was hung to match.” Shiro laughed again, the sound bordering on hysterical. Finally he looked up at Adam's pale face, “Sorry. I know I shouldn't act on them but...what if I do? What if-”  
  
Adam put a hand on his arm, cutting him off, “You won't. So long as you can recognise these as bad things then you're not a bad person.”  
  
“I don't know if I can...” He said quietly, shaking his head and taking a sip of his tea, it was warm and comforting. It reminded him of late night study sessions in this very apartment, Adam close by, their knees knocking together as they discussed papers and exams. He choked on a lump in his throat and hunched his shoulders.  
  
“No...it's...ok.” Adam sighed, “Maybe it'll help to talk about it.”  
  
Shiro didn't reply. They sat in silence for a while, drinking and looking at anything except each other.  
  
“Why me?” Adam asked suddenly, “Why not Iverson? Or Keith?”  
  
“I don't know. I guess...we have history.”  
  
“Oh.” Adam turned his mug in his hands, watching the lamp light reflect off of the white porcelain. “So...you and Keith aren't...together?”  
  
“No. I don't think so.” Shiro finally lifted his eyes and stared at Adam's profile, he frowned, “Why?”  
  
“Are you sleeping together?” Adam asked, meeting Shiro's eyes.  
  
“I...” He sighed and shrugged, “Yeah. We are.”  
  
“You went and got yourself a space twink.” Adam muttered, rising as he took Shiro's empty mug to the sink.  
  
“Don't be a bitch, Adam.” Shiro replied irritably, “You don't know him. You don't know what we went through.”  
  
Adam kept his back to Shiro but his shoulder's slumped as he gripped the sides of the sink, “I know. I'm sorry.”  
  
“Are...are you jealous?” Shiro asked carefully, watching Adam's back.  
  
“No.” Adam replied, perhaps a touch too quickly as he washed out the mugs, giving himself the prefect excuse not to look at Shiro.  
  
Shiro's lips curled up and he almost laughed, “Sounds like you are to me, I know what jealousy looks like on you Adam.”  
  
“Fine.” Adam sighed, letting the cups fall back into the sink. He turned around and fixed Shiro with a glare, “I'm jealous. Maybe I've spent the last year and a half since you disappeared wondering what I'd do if you ever came back alive. Maybe I was still hoping. Maybe...maybe I realised that I made a mistake by breaking up with you.”  
  
Shiro lowered his eyes, “Adam...”  
  
“I know. We were...a terrible match. I'm aware of that now but...we've got so much history, so many years...I just...I hoped that maybe you'd remember what that felt like.” Adam walked closer and grabbed Shiro's hand in his own, “But you came home a different person.” he whispered, staring at their linked fingers, “I don't know who you are anymore.”  
  
Shiro looked down at their hands, his expression vacant. Slowly he extracted himself from Adam and rose, “Yeah. I am different.” He agreed, “I guess the Takashi you knew died in the arena.” Adam watched Shiro move to the door before diving around the bar and grabbing Shiro's wrist. Adam turned him around and pushed into his space, pressing their lips together. He felt Shiro twitch against him before he pulled away so their noses brushed.  
  
“I just wanted...to say goodbye.” Adam smiled, reaching up to tug lightly on Shiro's forelock. Shiro's nose wrinkled in a way that sent a shock of pained memory through him. “You're in there somewhere, Takashi.” He promised and pulled away, “Tell Keith that if he hurts you he'll have me to answer to.”  
  
Shiro laughed, shocked out of his melancholy, “He'd kill you but I'll let him know. Thank you Adam...I...feel a bit better.”  
  
Adam smiled, leaning against the door, “Glad I could help.”  
  
Shiro went to the door but hesitated, “Do you have anyone?” he asked, turning to see Adam's lips curl into a mysterious smile.  
  
“Maybe I do.” He winked, “But you'll have to find out.”  
  
Shiro relaxed, “I'm happy for you.”  
  
Adam shrugged, “It's not serious yet.”  
  
“Still. I'm glad you could move on.”  
  
“So will you, Takashi. I promise.”  
  
Shiro didn't answer as he opened the door and left.  
  
XXX  
  
Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro's waist. The hoverbike ate up the miles between towering rock formations. He could feel the vibrations of the engine between his thighs, the rush of adrenaline as they sped around corners. He realised that the ache in his cheeks was because he was grinning. He buried his face in Shiro's jacket, breathing in the scent of dust and motor oil. Finally Shiro came to a halt, cutting the engine and turning back to Keith. “You ok?”  
  
“Yeah,” Keith replied breathlessly, grinning up at him. “That was awesome!”  
  
“Glad you liked it.” Shiro slid off the bike and helped Keith down, he pulled him close and ran fingers through Keith's wind-swept hair, “So, Red got any ideas?”  
  
Keith hummed, turning in a circle, eyes widening as he stared around the deep valley they'd entered. “Wow.” He breathed, staring at the formation of stones. Different shades of red and browns shaped into towers by the wind. “I...” Keith felt a tug in the back of his mind and turned in a circle, lifting his arm and pointing south east.  
  
“That way?”  
  
“That's where she's telling me to go.” Keith agreed, nodding.  
  
Shiro pulled down his goggles and grinned, “Let's go then.” Keith settled on the bike behind him again and held on.  
  
They travelled for another half an hour before Keith's arms tightened almost painfully. Shiro braked and almost sent them flying over the handle bars, “Keith?” He turned his head to see Keith sitting still, eyes on the horizon.  
  
“Keep going.” Keith whispered, frowning.  
  
“If you're sure...”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Shiro started off again and this time went slower. They passed a cliff and turned left around a rocky outcropping before finding a vast stretch of empty desert. Ahead of them was a small shack. Shiro sucked in a breath and Keith hugged him tighter. They headed towards it until they finally reached an old broken down fence. Shiro cut the engine. “Is this...?”  
  
“Yeah.” Keith muttered, sliding off the bike and staring at the little house. He took a deep breath.  
  
“Keith...”  
  
“I'm...ok.” Keith muttered, staring around the old place. He saw a water butt, now crumbling and rusty. He had a sudden memory of his father bending over the butt and collecting it's contents. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself as he moved forward. His boots crunched over shattered glass, twisted and rusted metal and a few dead plants. He stepped over a broken fence post and went to the front porch. He stared up at the shack, noting that the roof had half-collapsed. The old rocking chair out front was little more than firewood. Keith stepped onto the porch, testing the strength of the wood warily before going to the door. He could feel Shiro behind him, silent but wary. Keith reached out and gave the door a push. Sand gave way, spilling across the boards. Keith pushed harder until the door was fully opened. He stepped inside and looked around. A few lizards skittered away from his boots as he moved over the hill of sand that had blown in through the door. Shiro kept behind him, looking around curiously. Keith's boot hit something and it clattered as it rolled further into the darkness. He looked down and saw several white bones. Keith froze, a chill creeping up his spine. He could see scraps of cloth and large gouge marks in one particularly long bone. There wasn't much left but Keith knew what it was. He knew what he was looking at.  
  
“Keith? Oh.” Shiro looked at Keith who swayed on his feet, he reached out and caught him before he collapsed. He pulled Keith against his chest and sighed into his hair, “I'm sorry.” Keith didn't reply, he lay limp against him and breathed erratically. “We can...bury what's left.” Shiro decided, “If you wanted.”  
  
“Bury?” Keith lifted his head and then nodded, “Thanks.”  
  
“It's ok. You sit down out there, I'll find something to-uh...wrap the bones in.” Shiro drifted further inside the cabin, leaving Keith to stand in the doorway. He wrapped his arms around himself and stared listlessly around. He couldn't remember much, not even seeing the remains of the couch or decayed boxes in the corner brought any new memories. He stepped inside, over the bones of his father, ignoring the soft click as they knocked against each other. He moved towards a sagging pin board and stared at the scraps of things that had been pinned there. Keith reached up and found a photograph half-hidden behind a sun-bleached card. He pulled it out and saw his own face staring back at him, looking up at a faded image of his father with a huge smile. Keith wondered who had taken it and why. He crumpled the image in his fist, feeling disconnected from the innocent boy. He wasn't him anymore. He turned to look out the window at the emptiness that echoed in his soul.  
  
“Well...I found a sheet but it's...not in good shape.” Shiro said, stepping out of a bedroom and holding up a sheet with faded stars printed on it. “Guess this was yours?” He smiled.  
  
“I don't know.” Keith replied.  
  
“Yeah...sorry. I'll just...” Shiro cleared his throat and went back to the place by the door, he slowly gathered as many brittle bones as he could and placed them gently on the sheet. Then he wrapped them up and tied it. When he was done he saw Keith staring at the spot. “You ok?”  
  
“I was so scared.” Keith muttered, frowning a little, “Dad tried to protect me. They cut him in half...and now he's just...bones.” Shiro said nothing while Keith stared, “I don't know who I was back then but he wasn't me.” He let the picture flutter to the floor before moving towards Shiro and stepping past him. “We'd better get going.”  
  
Shiro sighed and followed him out, uncertain what he was supposed to say. They spent an hour digging a hole deep enough and then burying Keith's father's remains. They stood over the grave in silence for a few more moments before Keith nodded and tugged Shiro back towards the hoverbike.  
  


It grew dark rapidly and they finally decided to return to the Garrison and continue their search the next day.  
  
XXX  
  
Shiro lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. Sweat clung to his bared skin from the sit ups he had been doing, his hand rested on his belly as he caught his breath. His door beeped and he sat up just as the door opened and revealed a very angry Pidge. “What-”  
  
“ _You_.” She snarled, pointing an accusing finger at him, “You went out without me?!”  
  
“Pidge-”  
  
“She's right! You ditched us.” Lance accused, stepping out from behind Pidge, “That's uncool, man.”  
  
“I never-”  
  
“I heard you went out to look for this blue lion by yourself.” Pidge folded her arms across her chest and lifted her chin, “Is that true?”  
  
“Well, yeah but-”  
  
“Traitor!” Lance gasped, seeming to enjoy egging Pidge on.  
  
“Look I never promised I'd take you guys with me!” Shiro insisted, rising and wiping himself down with a towel.  
  
“You did so. I thought we were a team!” Lance folded his arms and imitated Pidge.  
  
“We're not a team, asshole.”  
  
The three at the door turned in surprise to see Keith standing behind them. He glared at them all, arms folded and damp hair dripping.  
  
“Keith,” Shiro smiled, “How was your shower?”  
  
“It was fine.” Keith shoved past Lance and moved into the room, dressed in nothing but a towel and unashamed by the fact. Shiro let his eyes move down his naked torso and he licked his lips, momentarily distracted by the expanse of skin on display.  
  
“So, did you find anything?” Pidge insisted, moving into the room and making herself at home on Shiro's bed.  
  
Keith moved to the draws and started rummaging through until he found a t-shirt and slipped it over his head. “No.” Shiro sighed, “Not yet.”  
  
“When are you going out again? Can you get us a pass to go with you?” Lance asked eagerly.  
  
“I'll have to ask Iverson.” Shiro replied uncertainly, “But why would you want to?”  
  
Lance rolled his eyes, “Who wouldn't want to become a hero?”  
  
“Hero?” Shiro shook his head, bemused. “Ok. Next time we go I'll talk to Iverson but on one condition.”  
  
“What?” Pidge looked up eagerly.  
  
“You've gotta leave us alone at night.” Shiro said sternly, “We need rest too you know.”  
  
“Oh...yeah, sorry.”  
  
“I tried to stop them but...” Hunk shrugged helplessly, “They're kind of persuasive.”  
  
“You can go now.” Keith insisted, “We don't need you here.”  
  
Lance glared at him before turning a smile onto Shiro, “See you later big guy.” He left, followed by Pidge who glanced between Keith and Shiro and raising an eyebrow. Hunk left last and gave them a wave as he stepped through the door.  
  
Shiro's shoulders slumped and he sighed, turning to Keith who was watching him uncertainly. The t-shirt was too big and hung from his shoulder. Shiro moved close and pulled Keith close, pressing his nose into his hair. His fingers slid into the long bits at the back and he felt Keith shiver. “You ok?”  
  
“Yeah.” Keith pressed his face against Shiro's chest and sighed, eyes closing, “Are you gonna take a shower too?”  
  
“Soon.” Shiro smoothed hair back from Keith's face and tilted his head back, “Today was...hard.”  
  
Keith leaned against Shiro's palm and pressed a kiss to his palm, “It wasn't so bad. I got to ride with you.”  
  
Shiro laughed, “Yeah you did.”  
  
“And...I got to say goodbye to him.” Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro's neck and looked up at him, heedless of his sweaty body. Shiro hummed when Keith lifted himself on tippy toe and kissed him, pushing fingers into the short hair at the back of Shiro's head, “Thank you,” Keith whispered against Shiro's mouth, nipping at his lower lip as he dragged him back towards the bed. “For helping me do that.”  
  
“'s kay.” Shiro replied, his thoughts rapidly becoming muddy as he slid his hands around Keith's skinny little waist and squeezed, “Mm, Keith...I gotta take a shower.” Shiro reluctantly pulled away, smiling into Keith's flushed face, “Sorry.”  
  
Keith swallowed but nodded, taking a step back and sitting on the bed. “I'll wait.” He said and curled his long legs underneath him.  
  
“I'll be right back. Stay there.” Shiro insisted, smirking as he backed out the door. He walked quickly to the shower block, glad that it was later than usual and they would be empty.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well a new and exceedingly long chapter for you all. I have taken some dialogue straight out of the show itself because frankly I am too lazy to write a different version of this particular bit. It's not a huge amount, just enough to show how it's running alongside canon despite it being an AU. Hope you don't mind. Thank you all for your interest in this fic, I love every comment and Kudos.

“Fraun...who?” Keith frowned at Hunk as the boy stared down at the box in his hands.  
  
“Hm? Oh yeah...he was a physicist.”  
  
“He was the second person to study the dark lines in the solar spectrum,” Pidge began, adjusting her glasses so they flashed in the sun that beat down on their heads, “The first was William Hyde Wollaston in 1802.”  
  
“What are these lines?” Keith waved his hand at the machine as they walked across arid desert.  
  
“Well, they indicate where light is being absorbed.”  
  
“The lions give off light?” Shiro asked in surprise.  
  
“Well, something like it. These reading's are weird.” Hunk shook his head and looked up at the towering cliffs that surrounded them, “And it's so hot.”  
  
Lance took a deep swig from his cannister of water, he lifted an arm and wiped sweat from his brow. “Tell me about it buddy.”  
  
They trudged on, Shiro and Keith walking side by side as the sun moved across the sky above them. They had forgone the hoverbike as Shiro insisted he couldn't fit everyone on it. So they had hiked. Keith had been given some thick, heavy boots and standard issue Garrison shirt and trousers. He had already removed his shirt and thrown it in his bag. It was too hot to wear too much cloth, he had no idea how the others coped. Shiro had argued at first and still kept shooting him concerned looks, he had mentioned something about burning but Keith wasn't sure what he was talking about.   
  
Finally Lance collapsed in the shadow of a large tower of rock, shaped into a finger by the elements. He groaned as he dropped sideways and rested his head on his pack, “How much longer?”   
“Not far.” Keith said, frowning in irritation when Lance made no sign of rising.  
  
“C'mon, get up.” Shiro snapped, command heavy in his voice, “We don't have time for this.”  
  
Lance groaned again but struggled to his feet. They all moved on.  
  
The sun was bright enough that Keith had to squint. Shiro had offered him some dark glasses, Keith had refused but now he was regretting it. He wasn't used to such intense light, having spent most of his life on a space station with a species that were mostly nocturnal. Shiro wore some of these 'sunglasses', they were golden rimmed with dark brown lenses that looked like squashed ovals. Lance had called them aviators. They stirred something inside Keith, some vague memory of his father's face with similar glasses over his eyes.   
  
Eventually they came across the entrance to a deep cavern. Hunk came to an abrupt halt, forcing everyone to follow suit. Keith felt all the hackles on his neck rise, a strange, prickly sensation stealing across his skin.  
  
“It's...here...” Hunk looked up and blinked sweat from his eyes, “We found it.” He whispered in awe as he took in the rocks surrounding the cave. They were marked by deep carvings, each one representing a lion.  
  
“The blue lion.” Keith touched one of the carvings, fingers dancing delicately over the patterns. He looked into the dark cavern and squinted. “It's in there. Red's telling me-”  
  
“ _Oh_...” Lance's voice was low and breathy, his eyes glassy as he reached out and pressed his own finger tips to the carvings. They lit up. Each one glowing a vibrant blue.  
  
“Wow.” Pidge muttered, eyes wide behind her glasses.   
  
Keith stared at Lance, his eyes glowing eerily, “You're the blue paladin.”   
  
Hunk opened his mouth and then closed it again, he tried again and failed before finally letting out a long breath, “He's supposed to fly one of those lions? How do you know?”  
  
“He's reacting just like Keith did.” Shiro nodded his head, “Come on, let's go see what's in there.” He led the way forward, Keith trailing behind him and the others following after.  
  
The cave was cool and dark inside and Keith sighed in relief. They travelled through until they reached a huge cavern, at the far end was the blue lion. Everyone else hung back while Lance was drawn closer, gaze fixed on the lions eyes. Suddenly they flashed gold and the barrier around it collapsed. The lion slowly lowered it's head and opened it's massive jaws.  
  
The next hour was filled with discomfort and screaming. Keith held on tightly to Shiro as they were tossed around like rag dolls in the g-force. When they finally landed beside red, Keith was one of the first to leave. Hunk followed quickly behind, vomiting as soon as his feet hit concrete. Pidge's knees were wobbly and she had to hang onto Shiro for balance as they stepped out of the Lion's maw. Lance jumped down with a cry of joy, turning back to watch as the lion returned to it's position and the barrier came back up.  
  
“That. Was. AMAZING!” He cried, punching the air and turning a grin on his companions. Hunk groaned and rubbed his stomach, Pidge shook her head and Shiro shifted awkwardly.  
  
“Next time I'm flying with Keith,” Pidge exclaimed breathlessly, pushing hair back from her eyes as she sent a glare at Lance.  
  
“C'mon, it wasn't _that_ bad.” Lance replied mulishly.  
  
“I'd have had more fun in a washing machine.” Hunk groaned, clutching at his belly. He was ashen and sweaty and was leaning up against a nearby Garrison truck as if he couldn't hold his own weight.  
  
“Well...alright...I'm not used to flying alien space ships, ok? Gimme a break.”  
  
“Enough. Let's get b-” Shiro started but was cut off by Keith who touched his arm and turned to look back at the Lions. Both their eyes were glowing now, the same glow reflected in Keith's and Lance's.  
  
“They want us to go with them.” Keith muttered, frowning a little, “They wanna take us somewhere.”  
  
“Keith...” Shiro hesitated, glancing back at the Garrison. Several guards were staring over at them, awed by the great beasts.  
  
“C'mon, we gotta go.” Lance waved towards the lions, “It's like...there's pictures in my head.”  
  
“A white castle.” Keith agreed.  
  
“Well, you guys go ahead I'm gonna to go lay down for a while...” Hunk began to stumble away but Lance grabbed his arm.  
  
“We've _all_ gotta go.”  
  
“Aww man,” Hunk glanced back at the lions warily.  
  
“Can't we get some supplies at least?” Pidge asked, “We don't know how long we'll be gone or where we're going.”  
  
Shiro looked down at Keith who looked back, they seemed to share an unspoken communication. Finally Shiro took a breath, “If we go back into the Garrison they'll keep us there.” Shiro kept his voice low as he glanced back at the guards, “If they want us to leave then we have to leave.”  
  
Pidge frowned but nodded, “Fine. Let's do this.”  
  
Together they returned to the lions. Shiro, Hunk and Keith went in red and Lance and Pidge took blue. Pidge grumbled about it but did as she was told. As soon as they were all inside the lions they came to life, rising to standing and roaring at the skies. Then they turned and took off. Far below them the Garrison receded into a tiny speck. They could see several dots surge out of the building and into the concrete landing area but they were helpless to stop the lions. Keith's hands hovered over the controls uncertainly, he hadn't done anything but the lion seemed to know what it was doing. Red and Blue soared into the sky, fighting gravity until they finally broke atmosphere.  
  
Hunk gasped, a half-spoken word escaping his lips as he gripped the pilots seat in a sweaty hand. His eyes were wide as he watched the view screen and Earth slowly receding into darkness. “Oh...oh wow...” Hunk gasped, they could hear Lance and Pidge's exclamations of awe through the comms. “We're in space. We're...actually...in space...”  
  
Shiro smiled to himself as he leaned over the pilots chair and looked down at the display, “Any idea where we're going Keith?” He asked quietly.  
  
Keith frowned and shook his head, “No sir.”  
  
Shiro sighed, reaching out to touch the back of his neck beneath his hair, “Guess we'll find out when we get there.”  
  
The lions flew side-by-side for a while before suddenly a massive purple and black ship dropped out of hyperspace. Keith pulled red up, eyes wide as he felt Shiro's prosthetic dig painfully into his shoulder.  
  
“They found us.” Shiro whispered, shoulders tense as fear churned in his gut.  
  
“Ok what the hell is that thing?!” Pidge yelled over the comms.  
  
“That's them. That's the Galra.” Keith shuddered, frowning at the ship.  
  
“Shiro, what do we do?!” Lance's voice was high with panic and Shiro took a breath, about to issue orders but he was cut off by the view screen turning to static before a painfully familiar face appeared.  
Keith gasped, eyes widening. He cringed backwards in his chair as if the image was going to reach through the screen and grab him.  
  
“Yorak,” Zarkon's voice boomed through the comms system, familiar and painful as Keith's fingers tightened on the controls, “I see you brought back my lion and another with it. If you return to central command with these gifts all your misdeeds will be forgiven and I will accept you back as my right hand. Defy me again and your life, along with those of your... _friends_ , will be forfeit.”  
  
“Master...” Keith choked on the word, head spinning. His vision tunnelled down to just the screen before him as panic held him tightly in its grip.  
  
“Keith...”  
  
“I...” Keith sucked in a breath which stuck in his throat, he trembled until he felt a warm, comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
“Keith!” Shiro shook him, trying to break whatever spell Zarkon had over him. “Listen to me. You need to get us out of here.”  
  
“Do as I order, Yorak or all of you will die.” Zarkon growled, causing Keith to shrink back as if he could disappear into his seat. All his old terrors rising up to haunt him, all the agonies he'd suffered throughout his short life drowning him.

 

“Keith! Keith!” Shiro moved around and crouched by Keith's side, he lifted a shaking hand and grabbed Keith's face. He pulled Keith's eyes away from the screen and to his, “Listen to me, we need to go. Now.”  
  
“I...I...” Keith trembled in his grip, eyes distant and glassy. The whites of his eyes turned gold and his pupils dilated.  
  
Shiro took a breath, his own hands shaking almost too violently to control. He tightened his grip hard enough to hurt and set his face, “I order you to leave. Take us out of here.”   
  
His harsh voice made Keith jerk, eyes widening and some semblance of sanity returning, “Yes sir. Yes master.” He muttered, turning to the controls.  
  
“Fine. You have signed your own death warrant.” Zarkon spat, fury twisting his features, he turned to someone they couldn't see, “Fire on the red lion.”  
  
“No no no.” Hunk whimpered, shrinking back behind the chair as if it could protect him. They watched the canon begin to charge.  
  
“Keith, now.” Shiro shouted.  
  
Keith growled, lifting his head and jerking the controls back towards him. The lion reared back and opened it's jaws, firing a blast right at the ship.  
  
After a split seconds hesitation the blue lion joined red. Firing at the ship until it was listing dangerously to one side.   
  
“Ok. That's enough, let's go.” Shiro shouted, seeing blue turn and start to flee. Keith, however, hesitated, he was breathing heavily, eyes shining oddly in the lights from his dash. “Keith, c'mon. Get us out of here.”  
  
Keith finally sucked in a breath and turned red around.

  
“Oh...oh no. What's that? What's happening? Guys?” Hunk whimpered behind them, hand rising and pointing as a great big hole opened up before them.  
  
“A wormhole.” Keith muttered weakly, frowning down at his screens, “I've only ever...heard rumours. They say only the Alteans had the tech to create them.”  
  
“Oh...great. That's just...great.”  
  
“What are Alteans?” Lance asked. He sounded shaken up from their brief fight.  
  
“A-a race as old as the Galra. They were known as peacekeepers until their King d-destroyed the Galran home world.” Keith replied, swallowing past a lump that sat in his throat, “And were destroyed in turn.” Shiro reached out and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, Keith leaned into it and let his breath out slowly.  
  
“Ok. Great. So, some long dead race of ancient aliens are somehow powering a wormhole from beyond the grave?” Lance sighed.  
  
“I don't know.” Keith replied, “Red wants us to go through.”  
  
“Same with blue. Shiro?”  
  
Shiro pursed his lips, staring into the swirling vortex of colour. “Go.” He ordered, “Let's find out what's on the other side.”  
  
“Yes sir,” Lance crowed as blue leapt forward towards the wormhole. Red soon followed.  
  
Keith felt a tug behind his naval, a weird squeezing sensation as red flew through the opening in space-time. Around them whorls of colour danced, stars blurred into streaks as they were pulled further and further towards some unknown destination. Minutes passed and then, suddenly, they were ejected into an unknown solar system. Through the comms they heard Lance curse in surprise as the lions slowed and they drew closer to a small, green planet.

 

“We have to go down there.” Keith said, nodding towards the planet, “There's something down there that the lions want to show us.” He looked down at the controls and various screens, “It has a breathable atmosphere and is pretty stable. No obvious Galran activity.”  
  
“Ok. Lets go but take us down gently, Keith. We don't know if we'll encounter any hostiles.”  
  
“Yes sir.”  
  
Together blue and red descended, the planet growing larger and larger until they could see only blue and green. There was a bit of mild turbulence as they breached the planets atmosphere but Keith quickly compensated and the rest of the descent was smooth.  
  
The lions took them over strange cliffs and ravines, carpeted in vibrant green grasses. Rivers criss-crossed the land like blue snakes as they drifted along until they reached a sheer cliff face with a gleaming white castle poking from it's top like a spear head. They watched as it drew closer and the lions made an abrupt turn, swinging around and coming in for landing.   
  
They settled outside the castle in what looked to be some sort of courtyard and waited. Keith stared up at the strange castle in awe, everyone else was silent too. It felt as if they were waiting for something to happen but all was quiet. Finally Shiro took a breath, “We're here...guess we should go in.”  
  
Keith rose from his seat and followed Shiro and Hunk as the lions head lowered to let them out. As they stepped out onto alien soil and breathed in the unfamiliar scents of the planet Keith moved closer to Shiro's side. Their fingers brushed and Shiro curled their hands together almost absently. Keith's free hand hovered by the sheath where his knife rested, on high alert for any sign of danger. The others didn't seem quite so worried as Lance, Pidge and Hunk all wondered over to castle's exterior doors.   
  


“Keep your guard up. My crew was captured by aliens once, I'm not gonna let it happen again.” Shiro said as the walked closer to the looming doors. They gleamed in the sunlight which was warm and pleasant on their faces as they all looked up at the towering building.   
  
Suddenly the lions behind them both snapped their jaws shut, Hunk screamed and almost leapt into Lance's arms. They all turned to watch as the lions roared. The doors glowed a vivid blue before they slowly began to open.  
  
They revealed a long corridor which the group started down warily. Their footsteps echoed eerily in the silence until Hunk called out, his voice echoing through the cavernous halls. Shiro glared at him and he hung his head guiltily. Finally they reached an entrance hall of some sort with a dimly lit staircase leading up, as they moved towards it a blue light burst from the ceiling.  
  
 _Hold for identity scan.  
  
_ A cool female voice filled the room as the blue light drenched them all. The light moved up their bodies and back towards the ceiling. Shiro looked up, “Why are we here?” He asked the mysterious voice, “What do you want with us?” The only answer was the lights slowly illuminating one by one, leading the way down yet another corridor.  
  
“I guess we're going that way.” Pidge said.  
  
They walked along a mezzanine, decorated in elegant archways. Keith looked around, face slack with awe. Shiro was frowning, worry gnawing at him as he kept himself alert for any sign of danger. The only sounds were their footsteps and Hunk's occasional call, no one told him to quiet down. They turned down another hallway and down some more stairs until they reached a large room seemingly empty.  
  
“Where are we?”  
  
Pidge turned to look at what appeared to a panel, “It's...some kind of...control room.”  
  
Just as she finished speaking a pod began to rise from the floor, smoke drifting away from it's base. A shadowy, vaguely humanoid shape could be seen through the frosted glass. A second one soon joined it.  
  
“Are these guys...dead?” Hunk asked, hiding himself behind a panel.  
  
With a loud hiss the first capsule's glass began to retreat to reveal a tall woman with snowy white hair, dark skin and strange pointed ears. Suddenly the woman's eyes opened, she gasped, “Father!” And toppled forward out of her pod. Lance reached out, catching her in his arms.  
  
“Hello,” Lance put on his best seductive smile as the woman looked up at him in surprise.  
  
“Who are you? Where am I?” The woman turned to look at the rest of the strangers.  
  
“I'm Lance and you're right here in my arms.”  
  
“Your...ears...”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“They're hideous. What's wrong with them?” The woman moved back in disgust.  
  
“Nothing's wrong with them, they heard exactly what you said about them!” Lance exclaimed, mortified.  
  
The woman grabbed him, yanking his arm up his back roughly as he cried out in surprise. She pushed him to his knees, “Who are you? Where is King Alfor? What are you doing in my castle?”  
  
Lance struggled in vain, terrified that she was about to tear his ear off, “A giant blue lion brought us here, that's all we know!”  
  
At that the woman turned to look over towards the others, her eyes widened in surprise.  
  
“You're Altean.” Keith said suddenly, arms folded defensively and a frown on his face.  
  
“Y-Yes...” The woman turned as the second pod opened to reveal an older male with bright orange hair and moustache.   
  
“Wait...you said the Altean's were destroyed?” Lance frowned at Keith accusingly.  
  
“They were.” Keith replied, glaring at Lance.  
  
“D-Destroyed?” The woman moved to the panel and placed her hands upon it, it lit up with more blue light and she stared at the information there. Slowly her face became pained, “Coran, we've been asleep for ten thousand years!”  
  
Coran moved to her side as she turned into him and he wrapped his arms around her.  
  
“Wait...who are you?” Lance asked, moving closer warily.  
  
“I am Princess Allura, daughter of King Alfor.” Allura replied as she disengaged from Coran, “Altea and all it's systems were destroyed by the Galra...My father put us to sleep and sent us away.” Her eyes shone with tears but she held firm, lifting her head proudly. “You said that a blue lion brought you here?”

  
“And red.” Keith admitted, “I was chosen to be the next red Paladin and blue chose...this guy.” He jerked his thumb at Lance.  
  
“How? How did you find the lions? My father sent them away so that Zarkon couldn't get his hands on them!”  
  
Keith clamped his mouth shut but Lance turned to him suspiciously, “Yeah, how _did_ you get hold of red?”  
  
“Lance-”  
  
“No. I must know.” Allura interrupted Shiro and fixed her gaze on Keith, “What are you?”  
  
“We're humans from a planet called Earth.” Pidge explained carefully.  
  
“Humans?” Allura frowned, “You are a primitive race...how strange that the lions chose you.”  
  
“Hang on.” Lance held up his hands and turned on Keith, “You have a lot of explaining to do, Keith. You came to earth in the red lion with Shiro, where did you really come from? I heard them talking about it back at the Garrison. Shiro was captured by the Galra and somehow you managed to bring him home? How did you get off of earth? How long were you even in space?”  
  
“He's kinda got a point. We don't know anything about you.” Pidge tilted her head, glancing back at Shiro, “I'm only trusting you because Shiro said to.”  
  
“Look, guys. We can sort this out later-”  
  
“You're not human, are you?” Lance's eyes widened, his mouth dropping open. “I _knew_ it! You're an imposter!”  
  
Allura frowned and started tapping the screen before her, seeming to ignore the argument going on close by. She then sucked in a breath and rounded on Keith, eyes flashing furiously, “You're Galra!”   
Keith took a step back, eyes wide. “I...I...”  
  
“He doesn't look Galra,” Coran admitted, frowning, “But his eyes...now that I think about it he's kind of got the look. A half-breed?”  
  
Slowly Keith nodded, “My...mother. She was Galra.”  
  
Lance gaped at him then looked back to Shiro, “You knew?”   
  
“I did.” Shiro replied stiffly, eyes fixed on Keith, “Princess, forgive me but Keith's not what you think he is.” He lifted his hand, the prosthetic, “A year ago I was kidnapped on the moon of one of the planets in our solar system by the Galra. I was thrown into their arena to fight for their entertainment. I became...one of the emperor's favourites and got special treatment.” He swallowed and lowered his eyes, “So they sent Keith to me when I got injured.”  
  
“Sent him? To do what?”  
  
“I was a slave.” Keith held his head high and met Allura's gaze, “I was Zarkon's bed slave.”  
  
Allura's mouth fell open in horror, “But...you're a child.” She whispered, blinking.  
  
“I was five when they took me from earth. I don't know who my mother was or how she met my dad but they said I was half Galra so...so they took me as a slave. Zarkon liked me so much he trained me himself.”   
  
Shiro moved forward, seeing Keith dig his nails deep into his arm. He took hold of Keith's hand in his own and squeezed, “Keith, you don't have to-”  
  
“I do. How can anyone here trust me if they think I'm the enemy?”  
  
“Bed...slave...” Pidge muttered, swallowing, “You said you were five years old?” Keith nodded and she went pale, her mouth closing on any more questions.  
  
“He called me...Yorak. I was there for so long I almost forgot the name my dad gave me.”  
  
“So...Zarkon was talking to you?” Hunk shifted uncomfortably, “He said you'd be his right hand? What did that mean?”  
  
“The red lion is the right hand of Voltron,” Coran said, “Zarkon's always wanted the Black Lion for himself, it makes sense he'd want to keep the red paladin as close as possible.”  
  
“This is all well and good but we cannot have another Galran paladin.” Allura insisted, eyes narrowed angrily, “Especially one who cannot even admit to his true heritage.”  
  
“Princess, he didn't choose this anymore than I chose to fight and kill innocent people.” Shiro stood beside Keith, one hand keeping him steady as he endured the scrutiny.  
  
“Meaning no offence princess but Shiro's right. Keith's a good pilot, I saw him fly red and he refused Zarkon's offer in the end.” Pidge added confidently.  
  
“I don't belong to Zarkon anymore.” Keith insisted, “I belong to Shiro.”  
  
“Keith you don't-”  
  
“I do. I don't...I don't understand what freedom is. I barely even remember a time before I was a slave. You're my master now, not Zarkon and I'll follow you to the grave.”  
  
“We'll discuss this later.” Shiro muttered, cheeks turning pink as Lance arched his eyebrow at him. He cleared his throat and looked away.  
  
Allura closed her eyes and took a breath, “Fine.” She said, “Red chose you and blue has chosen the lanky one-”  
  
“Lance,”  
  
“Yes. The other lions must still be found if we have any hope of ever forming Voltron and defeating the Empire.” Allura moved towards another door and passed through, the others trailed after her. “My father sent them away but he gave me the ability to track them. He tied them to my life essence.” She stepped up onto a low podium and held her arms out to her sides, light illuminated her form and suddenly the room was full of blue dots.  
  
“They're coordinates.” Pidge muttered, adjusting her glasses. “And it looks like the black lion is in the same place as blue and red.”  
  
“Quite astute,” Allura smiled, “Yes, my father hid the lion within the castle and it can only be reached if all five are together again. The quintessence of each paladin is mirrored in his lion, together they form something greater than science alone can explain. The black lion is the decisive head of Voltron it will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times. Someone whose men will follow without hesitation. That is why Shiro, you will pilot the black lion.”  
  
Keith gasped, staring at Shiro with awe-filled eyes, Shiro couldn't bring himself to look at the hero worship written across his face. It was painful enough to imagine.  
  
Allura introduced each of the Paladins to their lions qualities. She then sent Shiro and Pidge to find the green lion and Hunk and Lance to find the yellow.   
  
“You stay here and wait for us,” Shiro told Keith, putting a hand on his shoulder. The others were waiting by the feet of blue and red, “We'll be back soon.”  
  
Keith let Shiro sweep him into a tight embrace, he curled his fingers into the back of Shiro's jacket and buried his face in his chest. When Shiro released him he stepped away reluctantly, watching as he made his way to the pod Coran had prepared with Pidge. Already he ached to be without Shiro, it was like tearing off a limb. He curled his hands into fists and watched the pod streak away into the sky.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have another chapter! It's a tad shorter than what I normally try to aim for but still I like it. Hope you enjoy.

As soon as the others had left Keith felt empty. Bereft. As if Shiro had taken his very soul with him. Keith let out a slow breath and hung his head, looking down at his hands as he wrapped his fingers around his right wrist where he could feel the familiar ridges of scar tissue.   
  
“Keith? Is that your name?”  
  
Keith jerked in surprise, turning to find the orange haired Altean watching him carefully, “Yeah.”  
  
“My name's Coran, didn't get much of a chance to get properly introduced.” Coran held out his hand and Keith stared at it blankly. Slowly the Altean withdrew and cleared his throat, “Are you hungry? I suspect I can dig up something if you are.”  
  
Slowly Keith shook his head, “I'm fine.”  
  
“You were close to Zarkon.” Coran didn't form it like a question but Keith nodded anyway, seeing no reason to lie now, “I remember who he was before...” He trailed off, staring up at the sky, “Back then his predecessor had abolished slavery in all its forms. They had servants who got paid for their work, although the upper class Galra still didn't interact with them but it was a better time.”  
  
“I know,” Keith replied blankly, “I was taught all of our histories.”  
  
“The Galra destroyed...everything.” Coran swallowed and sighed, “Allura and I are the only two Altean's left. It will take her a while but the princess will come to accept you.”  
  
“It doesn't matter.” Keith returned his gaze to the skies, “As long as I have Shiro, nothing matters. He saved me...even-even if he doesn't know what he did. He gave me hope when I'd forgotten what that meant. He's my master now, not Zarkon and not your princess.”  
  
“Being a part of Voltron means being something so much more than that,” Allura's voice almost startled Keith he turned to see her standing behind him, distrust obvious in her gaze. “Your loyalty shouldn't be to a single man but to the entire universe.”  
  
“The universe can burn for all I care as long as Shiro's safe, nothing else is important.” Keith muttered, he walked past Coran and past Allura who looked horrified.  
  
“Keith-”  
  
“Caring about others...that's weakness and weakness should be pulled out from the root.” Keith cut Allura off, glaring at her, “Only the strong survive, your people weren't strong enough to defeat Zarkon and got destroyed because of it.”  
  
Allura's eyes widened, shock and hurt evident in her expression, “How dare you-”  
  
“I was too weak to stop them killing my dad and taking me as a slave. Zarkon taught me that much. I won't make the same mistake with Shiro.” With that Keith walked away.  
  
“Keith-”  
  
“Allura, let him be.” Coran suggested gently, “He's suffered much more deeply than either of us can imagine.”  
  
Allura made a quiet noise of frustration, “He's dangerous, Coran.”  
  
“Perhaps, but the red lion chose him, it must've been for a reason. Your father's own lion wouldn't make that mistake.”  
  
Allura looked up at her father's old advisor, “He's Galra. How can we trust that he won't betray us all?”  
  
“Trust in Shiro. He seems decent enough.”  
  
Allura turned back to watch Keith who had paused beside a bush, she noticed him gripping his right wrist as if it pained him while he gazed at the foliage. The sunlight gleamed off of the white metal behind him, highlighting the almost purple tint in his hair and eyes. Then she saw him dig his finger nails deep into his skin, a single drop of crimson splashing to the ground.  
  
The pain grounded him. Made him feel real, even if only for a moment. He closed his eyes and breathed deep, trying not to think about how he was alone on a strange world surrounded by strange people. It was too bright, too hot and his clothes itched. He needed something more tangible to ground him, to make him feel less like he was going to float away on the breeze. He remembered the feel of claws in his hair, of a warm, calloused hand cupping his cheek. He opened his eyes and for a moment saw Zarkon's face staring back at him. He had betrayed everything he'd been trained to love. He'd abandoned it all for a single human who had spoken to him like he meant something. And now he was thousands of light years away from the people who had raised him, made him into everything he was today. He had seen Earth, buried his father's bones in the sand and flown through endless stars and none of that could compare to Shiro's smile.  
  
XXX  
  
Shiro came back in one piece and with the green Lion while Hunk returned in yellow with Lance. As soon as they all landed Shiro hopped out of the lion's mouth and searched for Keith, he spotted him standing a little way back from Allura and Coran. Shiro went straight to him, wrapping him up in his arms and pressing his face into his hair. He breathed in Keith's scent and felt muscles he didn't know were tense, relax. “You're ok?” Keith asked, turning his head so he could look into Shiro's eyes.  
  
“I'm fine. It was pretty easy actually.” Shiro reached up and brushed his thumb gently over Keith's cheek bone, seeing his lips curl up into a small smile. “We weren't even gone that long but I felt...lost without you.”  
  
“Me too.” Keith whispered, turning his head into Shiro's palm and sighing.   
  
While on the planet searching for the green lion Shiro had been on edge, struggling with the sense that there were enemies around every corner. His mind kept drifting back to Keith every second of quiet they had. “If anything happened to you I-” Shiro cut himself off and shook his head, pressing their foreheads together, “I won't leave you again. I promise.”  
  
Keith closed his eyes, “It's ok. Even if you did, I'd wait for you for the rest of my life.”  
  
Shiro knew, objectively, that that was wrong somehow. Devotion of that level was unhealthy but he couldn't find it in himself to care in that moment. Keith was the only thing holding him together, without him he'd have fallen to pieces long ago. They'd been gone mere hours and it felt, to Shiro, like a lifetime. Even Pidge had noticed his anxious shifting, his tendency to lose himself inside his own head for long periods. She hadn't commented but she did send him odd looks. With Keith he felt safe again. Shiro tilted Keith's head up and leaned down, pressing their lips together. Keith melted against him, a small, soft little sound of contentment escaping him as Shiro deepened the kiss. He pulled Keith closer with his free hand, digging his thumb into Keith's bony hip. He slid his hand around and cupped his ass, squeezing it hard enough to make Keith moan. Keith's mouth was wet and hot and he groaned heavily before pulling away, staring into Keith's captivating eyes.  
  
“Ugh, get a room!” Lance shouted.  
  
Shiro blinked, having forgotten they weren't alone. Slowly he turned to see his fellow Paladin's in varying states of discomfort. Shiro flushed and pulled away from Keith, clearing his throat and trying to act like nothing had happened.  
  
“Ok. So that's something I need to erase from my memory.” Hunk muttered vaguely, looking a tad pale. “Not that you guys aren't like, cute together but-uh...none of us need to know what you sound like in bed, ok?”  
  
“Uh...yeah. Sorry Hunk.” Shiro shifted.  
  
“I don't understand.” Keith said, frowning from Shiro's embarrassment to the others and back again, “What did we do wrong?”  
  
“Keith, it's ok. I'll explain later-”  
  
“Oh I dunno, maybe trying to climb Shiro like a tree right in front of us!” Lance exclaimed, shaking his head and folding his arms over his chest, “Seriously, dude, no one needs to see or hear that.”  
  
“Climb?” Keith looked to Shiro, “What does that mean?”  
  
“He means uh...expressing...attraction...”   
  
“It was just a kiss.”  
  
“I mean you were basically fucking right there! In the courtyard! Outside! In front of an audience!” Lance cried, waving his arms around to emphasise his point.  
  
Keith tilted his head, “Shiro can do what he wants with me. Whenever he wants and wherever he wants-mmf!”  
  
“Okaaay! That's enough of that.” Shiro clamped a hand down on Keith's mouth as the others stared at him with horrified faces. Slowly he began to tug Keith away from the others and back towards the castle. “We're...real tired now. Uh...are there any bedrooms in the castle?” He asked Coran who was looking at Keith with something like pity in his gaze.  
  
Coran snapped out of his thoughts with a smile, “Yes! Of course! I'll show you where you'll be staying.” He jogged over to them and led them back into the castle of lions.  
  
Coran showed them to a row of small bedrooms, the largest belonging to the Black Paladin. Afterwards he stood at the door and glanced back, “If you need anything - anything at all - please call me.” He said and bowed out of the room.  
  
Keith and Shiro were finally alone. Shiro sighed and sat down on the small bed, hands between his knees as he hung his head. Keith stripped off his clothes, his pants falling to the floor as he kicked off the heavy boots and climbed onto the bed behind Shiro. He wrapped his arms around him and pressed his face into the back of his neck. “Keith?”  
  
“Mm?”  
  
“We should...talk about a few things.”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Earlier, about what Lance said...” Shiro took hold of Keith's hands and rubbed small circles into his palms, “He's right. We should be more careful about how we act around each other from now on.”  
  
Keith's lips were busy tracing the line of Shiro's jaw, soft hair tickling his neck, “Why? I belong to you. If you wanted to fuck me in front of them then you could've.”  
  
“Yeah that's the problem.” Gently Shiro extracted Keith's hands from around his neck and turned to look into his face, “On Earth our customs are different. We mostly keep our private life...private.”  
  
“You mean you don't mate in front of each other?” Keith asked, sliding around to slip smoothly into Shiro's lap.  
  
Shiro laughed, pressing a kiss to Keith's temple, “No, they're not used to it.”  
  
“Zarkon used to like people watching. It let them all know who I belonged to.” Keith shivered, tracing Shiro's lips with his tongue, “And I liked it because it was proof that I belonged to him.”  
  
“K-Keith...”  
  
“I know. It's ok. If you don't want to we won't. It doesn't matter what I want.”  
  
“No. No that's...that's not true.” Shiro pulled Keith away again and looked into his eyes, “I want you to enjoy things too...I want you to have opinions and needs as much as I do.”  
  
Keith shrugged, pushing his hands into Shiro's jacket, “My desires and needs are your desires and needs, Shiro.” He said quietly, eyes low as he began to push Shiro's shirt from his shoulders. “I'm yours. Forever.”  
  
“Keith...” Shiro sighed and tipped his head back as Keith's mouth found his chest, “I want-”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I want you to be happy.”  
  
Keith looked up at him through his fringe, “I am.” He said simply and returned to what he was doing.  
  
Shiro leaned back on one arm, watching Keith slide from his lap and onto the floor. He used his free hand to push Keith's hair from his face as he unbuckled Shiro's belt. Helpless against the tightening in his groin, the steady throb of desire as Keith's eyes met his all his protests faded into the back of his mind.  
  
XXX  
  
The new Paladins of Voltron spent the next few days training. It was an unmitigated disaster. Every failed attempt at forming the legendary robotic warrior left them all feeling dejected and tired. Allura set them a harsh training regimen, one that covered body, mind and teamwork.   
  
One task involved the five of them putting on Altean headsets that allowed them to connect their minds. Keith picked up his headset and placed it upon his head, he felt it almost immediately. Like his mind had expanded outward and tangled up with other, stranger thoughts.   
  
He can see tendrils of images, flashes of unknown places and people and emotions that don't belong to him. There's an overall sense of sadness and exhaustion prevailing the foreign feelings battering against his own mind. He frowns, trying to shut them out on instinct.   
  
“Focus,” Coran calls down to them from on high, “Now, imagine your lion,”  
  
Keith tries but his mind drifts to a picture of his father's shack before blurring around the edges. Purple light obscures it, a face obliterating any fondness the image had wrought. Large, golden eyes boring into him from high above, the feeling of a clawed hand cupping his chin. His head is forced back until he's looking at the Emperor directly.   
  
It's terror he feels. The emotion so overwhelming he feels tears sting his eyes. He's so small compared to this monstrous alien, so small and delicate. They're going to hurt him, just like they did his father. They're going to cut him into pieces. He's still dressed in his filthy, blood-stained pyjamas. His father's blood is still drying on his face and hands. He smells of piss and fear and he can't help the small whimper that escapes him.  
  
 _“This one is mine. Clean him and bring him to my quarters.”_  
  
Keith's frozen to the spot. Zarkon, the sights, smells and sounds around him all feel painfully real. He can't move. He can't speak. Even as he remembers something else. His first time in Zarkon's rooms, dressed in a simple purple-grey smock. The Emperor stands tall across the room, a guard enters and hands him a strange stick, lit up at the end in a glowing symbol.   
  
When they strip him he cries, sobbing helplessly as he's held down by clawed hands and forced to kneel. The Emperor walks slowly behind him, his hand running slowly across the skin of his back. Vaguely Keith's aware he's begging. He's too small to stop them though as something hot is pressed to his delicate skin. It burns. It burns deep. He can feel it eating away at his flesh and his screams reach a pitch he'd never known he was capable of-  
  
Someone grabbed him. Strong hands taking his shoulders and shaking. Keith's eyes fluttered open and he found himself looking up at a familiar face. “Keith!” Shiro's voice cracked and there was pain in his eyes. Behind him the other Paladins all stood and watched, their expressions difficult to discern as Keith slowly came back to himself.  
  
“What...” Pidge's words died in her throat, she tried again, “What was that?”   
  
Lance was rubbing his shoulder, wincing, “You were branded?” He asked, his voice unusually soft.  
  
Keith looked away, back to Shiro who was pale and sweaty. He reached up and brushed hair from Keith's forehead, “You ok?” He asked.  
  
“Yeah.” Keith replied, “I will be.”  
  
“We...we felt it.” Pidge said hesitantly, her face crumpling, “We felt everything...”  
  
Hunk was silent, ashen faced as he looked at Keith with his large brown eyes.   
  
“Perhaps we should...take a break.” Shiro suggested, still shaking but slowly pulling himself back together. Coran came to them bearing several packets of water and handed them out, Keith took his and sipped while the others sat silently around him.  
  
“So, we won't be doing that again, right?” Hunk asked finally after he'd calmed down. Keith's screams still echoing in his ears.  
  
“Yeah. Let's not do that.” Lance agreed shakily.  
  
While they were all sipping in silence Allura entered and demanded to know what they were doing. After that she put them back to training, but the headsets never came out again.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter is violent and traumatic. 
> 
> I am in no way excusing anything in this chapter, I will state that this is a work of fiction and does not reflect my personal morals (I HATE doing this but some people seem to think that what you write in fiction is how you think IRL so this is for them). Shiro makes an inexcusable mistake here, he is not evil. He is very traumatised and has no way of healthily coping with it. Same with Keith. It's not a story about purely good and evil, since humanity isn't like that.

_He was lying on a bed, bound and helpless. His struggles yielding no result as he tugged at the chains with all his strength. He panted around the rag stuffed between his teeth to muffle his screams. Sweat prickles his skin as a massive shadow looms over him, it's eyes glowing golden-yellow in the dim lights. A hand the size of his head reaches out, curling around his throat and cutting off his air. A deep, rumbling voice whispers in his ear. Lips and fur brushing the side of his face...  
  
“I will make sure that your body remembers me, Champion.”  
  
_Shiro woke with a gasp, sweat covering his body and his lungs struggling for air. He sat up, eyes wide and fingers clutching the blankets desperately. He stared across the unfamiliar room, blinking rapidly as he tried to orientate himself. Something warm and soft stirred at his side, he turned his head, ready to bolt but a hand clasped his upper arm. It was small and soft and grounding.  
  
“Shiro?” Keith's voice was thick with sleep, the alien moonlight highlighting his face and bed hair as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. “What time is it?”  
  
Shiro swallowed, “No idea.” He muttered, running shaking hands through his hair. He curled his prosthetic into a fist and gulped down air like a man dying of thirst.  
  
“Were you having a bad dream?” Keith peered at him and Shiro saw the scars scattering his body, scars like his. Shiro reached out and traced a nasty one that crossed his right pectoral muscle. Keith shivered under his touch.  
  
“Yeah.” Shiro imagined how the wound must have looked when it was fresh, the way the crimson would've stained Keith's pale skin. His fingers dragged over more scars, moving down to the one on his belly, his nails left tiny white lines in their wake.  
  
“Was it...him?” Keith reached out and cupped Shiro's face, leaning up to brush his lips across his jaw, “Do you want-”  
  
“No.” Shiro pushed him away gently, “Not...not right now, Keith.”  
  
Keith nodded and withdrew.  
  
“You should go back to sleep, we've got more training in the morning.”  
  
“But-”  
  
“I'll be fine.” Shiro smiled weakly, “Just go back to sleep, Keith.”  
  
Keith finally nodded and lay back down, pulling a pillow to his chest as Shiro rose and slid from the bed.  
  
Shiro left the room and let his feet take him where they wanted. He walked and thought, tugging at his shirt and frowning at the floor. His bare feet made little sound as he made his way through the castle. Some days he didn't even think about Sendak, others it was all he _could_ think about. He remembered his voice as if he were really there, whispering to him. He could feel his hands, crawling across his body like insects. It made him want to claw his own skin off.   
  
Shiro found himself at the showers. He stepped inside and stripped off, tossing his underpants and shirt to the floor as he padded to a stall and turned it on. He made sure it was hot enough to burn and stepped beneath the shower head, so eerily like earth that he had a moment of nostalgia. He grabbed a bar of soap and started to scrub. As if water and soap could wash away the memories of claws in the dark. He was alone so when the tears came and he collapsed to his knees, no one could hear.  
  
Keith lay awake for another hour, curled up around a pillow that still smelt like Shiro. He blinked into the darkness, alone and feeling oddly vulnerable. He was in a strange place, surrounded by strange people and he could feel the panic crawling up his throat. He tried to swallow it back, squeezing his eyes shut tight enough to see colour bloom across his vision. He wanted nothing more than to run back. Go back to what he'd known and throw himself on Zarkon's mercy. Maybe if he brought the lions with him he would be forgiven. But...  
  
“Shiro.” He whispered with a sigh, rolling onto his back to look up at the ceiling. He was bound to Shiro now, Zarkon would never forgive him for running with his Champion. He would be killed or worse, given to Haggar. He shivered, remembering how cold the witches skin was. Her fingers long and calloused, it was like being touched by a corpse. A similar sensation as Zarkon but Zarkon had always been gentle with him when he wasn't being punished.  
  
He had betrayed his old master, there was no going back now. Keith closed his eyes and sighed, hugging the pillow close and taking a deep breath. Shiro was good to him. He was kind, strong and beautiful. Keith was lucky, so many slaves never got masters as good as Shiro. He was never beaten, never asked for anything he wasn't already more than willing to give. He smiled to himself in the darkness, he was happy. But...  
  
But Zarkon. Zarkon was out there, hunting them all. Soon he would send out his best commanders to capture them or kill them. Keith knew that this war the princess was waging could not be won by three human teenagers, two Altean's, a half-breed slave and a single man. No matter how good Shiro was, they would all fall eventually. If captured Keith would end up being given to the lowest of the soldiers and raped and killed. Shiro would be sent back to the arena until the day he died. Allura would be given to the witch. The others would either be executed or, if they were good enough, be forced to fight with Shiro. It was pointless, he knew that but he wouldn't abandon Shiro. Not now, not ever. He would die to protect him. He would happily throw himself onto his own blade if it would keep Shiro alive. Sendak would never touch Shiro again if Keith could help it.  
  
XXX  
  
It was a few days later when the castle picked up the Galran ship entering their system. Coran and Allura called an emergency meeting, their gazes solemn as they broke the news. The image of the ship appeared on their view screens and Keith felt dread sink into his gut. They had discovered that the planet was inhabited by strange little creatures called Arusians and Keith knew that the commander on that ship wouldn't spare their lives.  
  
“That's Sendak's ship.” Keith whispered, loud enough for Shiro to twitch at his side.  
  
“How do you know that?” Lance asked accusingly.  
  
“Because I've been on it.” Keith rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat with his arms folded.  
  
“Coran, ETA?” Shiro asked, forestalling any more arguments.  
  
“Well, by my calculations we've got a couple of vargas.” Coran explained.  
  
“Varga?” Pidge asked.  
  
“An hour.” Shiro replied, “Or close enough.”  
  
“Right. So...who's this Sendak guy?” Hunk looked from Shiro to Keith and back again.  
  
“He's Zarkon's most trusted commander,” Keith said, frowning a little, “He's the most loyal, the strongest of them. He has conquered more worlds than almost anyone else in the Empire's name.”  
  
“You know, the name does ring a bell.” Coran stroked his moustache with a small frown, “I seem to remember meeting him once or twice.”  
  
“Yes, he did visit Altea with Zarkon a few times. I remember father saying.” Allura agreed.  
  
“We need to prepare.” Shiro said, “If it really is Sendak then we have to-”  
  
“But Voltron isn't ready!” Lance exclaimed, eyes wide, “We haven't been able to form it!”  
  
“Maybe not but what choice do we have? There are innocent people on this planet.” Shiro argued, “We've got to try.”  
  
“The castle isn't ready to launch yet, we can't leave.” Allura nodded, “Our only chance now is to fight.”  
  
They fought Sendak and somehow, miraculously, they won. The cruiser came down, smashing into the earth with an almighty crash that shook the foundations of the castle. They managed to form Voltron out of sheer desperation. They came back shaken and elated, grinning from ear to ear as they celebrate their small victory.   
  
Allura befriended the locals, arranging a small gathering to form their first alliance. Shiro seemed to be the only one who felt uncomfortable. The castle doors were wide open, exposing the guts of the castle to friends and enemies alike. He left then, to check the perimeter and hoped that the sick feeling of dread in his gut was wrong.  
  
Shiro was right. Somehow Sendak had survived and he infiltrated the castle, almost killing Lance and Coran. Keith and Allura were lured away by a threat to the Arusian's which turned out to be a trap. They came back to find the castle's barriers up and blocking their entry. Shiro found himself beaten, bound and once again at Sendak's dubious mercy.  
  
While Haxus went off to try to stop Pidge, Sendak stood guard over Shiro and Lance. Shiro stared at Lance's body, watching his chest rise and fall, comforting himself with the fact that he was alive. For how long however, he didn't want to even guess. Shiro's left arm ached from the position Sendak had bound him in, he sat on his knees as Sendak checked computers and the crystal he'd installed. The lions were locked away in their hangars, Keith and Allura trapped outside while Pidge scrambled through the castle like a rat looking for a way to bring down the barrier. Hunk and Coran were elsewhere, searching for a new crystal. Shiro felt hope seep from him, making him hang his head. His ribs ached from where Sendak had kicked him. His face was bruised and he closed his eyes.  
  
Shiro heard Sendak move, his footsteps surprisingly light for a creature as large as he was. He forced his eyes open to find himself staring at Sendak's boots and legs. A clawed hand reached down, snatching up the tuft of hair at the front of his head, he was yanked roughly backwards, forced to stare into glowing yellow that haunted his nightmares.  
  
“So we meet again, Champion.” Sendak purred, lips curling in a victorious smirk.  
  
“Fuck you.” Shiro hissed, spitting at Sendak's feet with as much venom as he could muster.   
  
Sendak laughed, jerking his head and forcing a cry from Shiro's lips as some hair parted with his scalp. Sendak crouched then, he was still taller than Shiro. He released Shiro's hair and used the same hand to trace Shiro's spit-slick lips with a claw. “Your friends will die here, Champion. All except Yorak who will be taken back to his true master. Do you know what they will do to him on his return?” Shiro couldn't speak, his voice trapped in his throat as Sendak's hands slid down his neck to his chest. His armour creaked as Sendak put pressure on his ribs. “He will be handed over to the lowest soldiers,” he said slowly, drinking in Shiro's pained facial expressions hungrily, “They will strip him and rape him. Over and over again until he can no longer scream. He'll be used up like a doll and then thrown out of an airlock, alive or dead. The little one, the child, he will be sent to the arena. Fodder for beasts. That one,” He forced Shiro's head to look over at Lance, “he is close to death as it is. I will put him out of his misery. The Princess will be given to the Emperor as a gift, I'm sure the witch will enjoy her company for a while. The last Altean, in our hands will be a formidable weapon. I will ensure you have the pleasure of watching her last moments as she screams her life away. You can watch as the light in her eyes dies. You have lost, Champion. Your friends will die and you will watch as we destroy them all one by one. I will enjoy watching you finally break.” Sendak's hand moved down, down until his fingers cupped Shiro's cock through the tight flight suit he wore. He gasped, choking on a plea that he hid behind his teeth. Sendak squeezed, chuckling in Shiro's ear when he released a pained whimper. “You will break, Champion. I promise you that.”   
  
Shiro grunted, eyes watering as agony shot up through his gut. He tried to curl inwards, to escape the torment but only ended up pressing his forehead against Sendak's armour. It bit into his skin. Sendak released him, finally and pushed Shiro forward, his head smacking into the floor with such force he saw white spots dart across his vision. “Perhaps I should kill this one now? He is hardly worth the effort of taking back to Central.” Sendak shifted, about to rise but Shiro jerked his head up, eyes wide.  
  
“No.” He gasped, trembling from the effort of holding himself up.  
  
“And why would I listen to you?”  
  
“Don't. If he's gonna...die anyway...you may as well just-” Agony seared across his face as Sendak slapped him. He fell sideways, dropping to the floor with a thud. His bruised ribs screamed in pain and he tasted his own blood. He curled up on his side, drawing his knees into his chest as an automatic defence. A heavy boot collided with his back and he screamed.   
  
“Remember your manners, Champion.” Sendak growled, stalking around Shiro like a beast stalking prey.  
  
Shiro swallowed blood and bile and sucked in air, his bottom lip stung from a laceration made by his own teeth, “Y-yes sir,” He managed to gasp, shuddering as Sendak finally came to a stop in his circling.  
  
“You are weak, Champion.” Sendak spat, “Pathetic little creature. You could have been powerful, truly strong but you care too much about others. They become your greatest weakness and it is too easy to exploit. What would you do to stop my knife from cutting this one's throat?”   
  
Shiro could hear the rustle and thud of Lance's unconscious body being dragged around so he was before him. Shiro stared, chest aching, breath catching in his lungs. He stared at Lance's slack face, covered in soot and bloody welts. He closed his eyes, pressing his hot face into the cold metal of the floor.  
  
“Kneel.” Sendak commanded and Shiro struggled to get his legs back underneath him. After a moment Sendak moved, grabbing Shiro's armour and dragging him up into a kneeling position. Shiro hung his head and stared at the floor with a blank expression. “What will you do to protect this thing?” He shook Lance, causing his head to loll sickeningly. Shiro swallowed.  
  
“Anything.” He whispered, lowering his head further, “Don't hurt him...sir.”  
  
Sendak laughed, a familiar, low rumble, “Weak.” He muttered, dropping Lance like a rag doll and moving towards Shiro, he cupped his head and dug his claws into Shiro's cheeks. “I won't be the one to end his life,” Sendak assured him, his smirk widening, “That will be your duty when we return to central.”   
  
Shiro felt terror well up into his throat, his stomach twisting as he swallowed back bile. Sendak enjoyed watching the fear on Shiro's face as he stroked his thumb down Shiro's face, the pad rough against his skin. “In the arena you will kill this one if he lives beyond the next few vargas. I will make you bathe in his blood, Champion.”  
  
Shiro tried to shake his head but Sendak pulled him closer, “For now, we have some time. You will entertain me until Haxus returns with the child.”  
  
Sendak unbound his hands, warning him to not fight or risk Lance's life. Shiro obeyed. He stayed still while Sendak stripped him of his armour, tossing it aside. He stared at Lance's lifeless body, watching his chest and rise and fall in a stuttering rhythm. He let Sendak push him forward, onto hands and knees and stared at the floor. He was numb. Emptiness filling his chest and mind. He stared and let himself become empty.  
  
Shiro felt his palms sweat as Sendak prepared him with long fingers, his lips parted on a shaking exhale and he curled the fingers of his human hand into a fist. The metal beneath him was damp, sticky with his own sweat. He shuddered, body reacting when Sendak found that spot inside him. He grunted, gritting his teeth and letting his head drop to his arms. His breath fogged the cold floor and he squeezed his eyes shut, willing it to just end.  
  
“You become so obedient when your friends are in danger, Champion.” Sendak purred, sliding his fingers out of Shiro's body. Shiro had no idea what he was using as lubricant and didn't want to, he just wanted Sendak to hurry. To get it done so he could curl up and nurse his shattered pride in peace. A part of him distantly hoped Sendak would make it hurt but he knew that wouldn't happen.  
  
His head was static. There was pressure inside his brain, slowly spreading outward as Sendak pushed something much larger than his fingers into his body. Shiro gasped, eyes snapping shut as his back arched. He could feel a sharp pinch, a sting and then Sendak groaned. Shiro's prosthetic screeched as he scraped metal fingers across metal floor.   
  
Sendak took his time. He dug his claws into Shiro's hips, drawing droplets of blood. He leaned over him, hot breath brushing the back of Shiro's neck. He slid his hand between Shiro's legs, stroking his cock to hardness. Shiro squeezed his eyes shut, drawn out of his daze by the liquid heat coalescing in his gut. He gasped, breath coming in long, slow rasps. He blinked sweat from his eyes, finding himself staring at Lance's unconscious face. He tried to force himself to drift away again, to not think about the way his body was reacting. He squeezed his eyes shut tight enough to see colour bloom across the inside of his eyelids. He tried to tense, to keep Sendak from plunging back into his bruised body but Sendak tightened his grip on Shiro's cock, forcing the first moan from his lips. He adjusted his angle, lifting Shiro's hips higher, forcing his legs to part further. Shiro shook underneath him, unwanted tears collecting in the corners of his eyes.  
  
It didn't take much to get Shiro off. He tried to fight it but he could feel it expanding inside, heat and pressure and the throbbing of his own heart beat in his ears. He cursed as he came, voice hoarse as Sendak milked him for every tiny drop. Shiro almost collapsed where he was, eyes blurring as strength left his limbs. He barely felt Sendak finish and pull out. Shiro had a few, brief seconds of relief before Sendak yanked him backwards. His head was grabbed by the back of the neck and his face forced into the mess he'd made. It smeared his cheek and he shut his eyes, struggling against Sendak's grip uselessly. Sendak leaned down and whispered in his ear; “Clean up your mess, slave.” he hissed.  
  
Shiro's eyes snapped open, face flushing hot and stomach clenching at the very idea. “W-What?” He croaked.  
  
“Do not answer back. Clean up your mess. I have no desire to hand this ship over to the Emperor in this state.”  
  
Sendak eased up enough for Shiro to see the white-ish puddle smeared across the floor. He swallowed, his throat clicking as claws dug dangerously into his skin.  
  
“If you do not I will kill your friend.” Sendak growled, shaking Shiro like a kitten.  
  
Shiro looked up to Lance who continued to lay slumped over the steps he had been dropped on. He swallowed and closed his eyes, lowering his head to the floor and trying to detach himself from the situation. He thought back to Keith. Of his smile, quiet and subdued but no less beautiful. Of the way his dark hair turned fluffy after being washed. The way it became almost purple in the right lighting. Shiro dragged his tongue through the mess, tasting salt and something bitter. He gagged, reeling back as far as he could with Sendak holding him. He saw Lance again and grit his teeth, letting Sendak shove him back down until all that was left was a damp spot gleaming in the light of the tainted crystal.  
  
Afterwards Shiro had his armour tossed at him, he was forced to dress himself. He did so clumsily, with hands that shook so violently he wasn't sure how he could even do up the straps on his chest plate. When he was covered again he was bound, arm dragged so far up his back he cried out in pain. After that Sendak returned to the terminal, ignoring Shiro who sat there, breathing unsteadily and staring blankly at the floor. His face itched as semen and blood crusted against his skin. He let his mind drift. He let himself go somewhere deep, somewhere Sendak couldn't find him. He sank himself into memories of lying in his mothers arms, hazy and warm with a belly full of buttery popcorn and a film playing on the television. Of his first time seeing the Garrison, gleaming silver and white in the desert sun. Of his first time in a rocket, the explosion of excitement as he listened to the count down in his ear piece. _Good luck out there Lieutenant,_ he closed his eyes and let darkness take him.  
  
Shiro came around again in time to hear a familiar shout. Someone calling his name. A violent crash. He jerked up, eyes snapping open as adrenaline shot through his system. He turned to see Keith leap off of a wall, sword raised and a furious cry on his lips. Shiro blinked thickly, mind taking much too long to catch up. He watched Pidge dance around the giant Galra, dodging vicious strikes with barely a millimetre to spare. Sendak batted her aside, causing her to smash against the wall. Keith ducked and dived, weaving around Sendak's strikes like he was born to it. He switched hands, his bayard jumping from one fist to the other as he went for his knife.   
  
Everything blurred. Shiro barely remembered getting to his feet. He didn't remember how he got so far with bound hands as he tried to prevent Sendak from taking Keith's head. All it did was distract him as Shiro was pushed back, hitting the ground with a grunt as teeth sliced through his tongue. He spat blood to the floor and tried to stand again. His head swam, the world see-sawing dangerously as the entire ship tilted around him. He heard someone yell. Heard the sound of a blaster going off. The room filled with the scent of ozone and darkness slipped across his vision. Shiro dropped forward, falling into it gladly.  
  
XXX  
  
Keith stood, pressed against the healing pod with his gloved fingers scratching at the glass surface. He stared into Shiro's face, twisted in pain even during sleep. He watched the monitor, little lines that blipped and wiggled in meaningless ways. He turned back to Shiro and stared, his own breath fogging the glass.   
  
“He's going to be ok, Keith.”  
  
Keith didn't look back to see who had spoken. He didn't much care.  
  
“His injuries were minor.”  
  
“No.” Keith said, eyes dropping down to his own feet as he pressed his forehead against the pod and closed them, “He's not gonna be ok. Not after this.”  
  
Pidge hovered a few paces behind him, wringing her hands, “Keith I-”  
  
“No one's ever ok after Sendak's had his hands on them,” Keith finally looks back at her over his shoulder, a frown marring his face, “I know what he's like better than anyone.”  
  
Pidge could find nothing to say to that. She closed her mouth and looked up at Shiro's face. They waited in silence while the pod healed Shiro's physical injuries.  
  
When Shiro finally came to he stepped out of the healing pod to be caught in strong but thin arms. He wobbled, using whoever had caught him as a crutch to steady himself. Finally he blinked and his vision focussed on a familiar face. “Keith...” He mumbled, reaching out to touch a livid looking bruise covering the side of Keith's head.  
  
“Shiro.” Keith breathed, lips twitching upwards helplessly and his eyes going soft.  
  
“Y-You're...ok. I...” Shiro swallowed, his dry throat clicking, “I thought they'd got you. I thought you were dead.” His voice cracked, relief and pain twisting his expression as he stroked hair from Keith's pale face.  
  
Keith shook his head, “No, it was probably a dream. We beat him. We beat Sendak.”  
  
Shiro slumped against him further, if he was in his right mind he would have been amazed that Keith could hold his weight. “Come on, let's go back to your room.” Keith helped Shiro past the others who watched with concerned faces and back towards their room.  
  
Keith lay Shiro back on the bed and stripped out of his clothes, he climbed in beside him and let Shiro curl up around him. He felt Shiro squeeze him tight enough to hurt as he buried his nose into Keith's hair.  
  
XXX  
  
Two days Shiro spent recovering. Lance managed it much faster, his injuries only being physical. Shiro wanted to be happy that he'd survived, wanted to shake his hand and welcome him back. But he spent more time inside his own head, reliving the past few days over and over. He could hardly eat, food forcing him to remember the taste of his own come and the metallic floor. He ran to the bathroom, vomiting what little he could put inside himself before collapsing against the rim of the toilet and trying to fight back the urge to scream. When he caught sight of himself in the mirror he smashed his fist into the glass, shattering it and watching the electric light make the remaining pieces sparkle. He was sure there was a metaphor in there somewhere.  
  
Keith was quiet. Withdrawn but his eyes would lock onto Shiro whenever they were in the same room together, he followed him around, sticking close as if he was afraid he would lose him. Shiro took some small comfort in his body at night. He was warm, soft and real. He was gentle and pliant. Shiro soon realised that he could take whatever he wanted from Keith. Whatever he lacked around Sendak; strength, control, the ability to make his own choices, he didn't lack with Keith. At nights, while the castle around them slept, Shiro grabbed Keith. He drew him close, pressing their mouths together and revel in the way Keith would melt against him. He parted Keith's legs, fingers pushing inside his body. He kissed his way up his long neck, biting down hard enough to bruise. He lost himself in Keith's body. Lost his mind in the feel of Keith's heat around him, clenching tight enough that it bordered on pain. He reached out, curling a hand around Keith's throat; he was making too much noise. Shiro didn't want him waking the castle. He leaned down and whispered into his ear, hushing him as he pushed his own cock past the tight ring of muscle. Keith fell quiet eventually, body limp as Shiro started to thrust. Pleasure sparking across his skin, he looked down into Keith's dark eyes.   
  
It took several days of foggy thoughts and sluggish movement. Several days of waking trapped in Sendak's grip and fighting for freedom, screaming and lashing out with a glowing fist. Days before he came to all too suddenly. He blinked. Staring down into Keith's pale face. He was white as a sheet, shadows shifting in his eyes and lips painted with blood. Shiro pulled back. He stared, eyes moving slowly down Keith's body to where they were connected. His knees ached from where he was knelt on the floor. Keith's legs were limp to either side of his waist. He saw bruises scattering pale skin, dark and ugly and varying shades of purple and yellow. Shiro froze. Horror holding him still while Keith lay there beneath him, blank, unmoving and breathing in tiny little gasps.   
  
Shiro pulled out. He fell backwards, hand clasped over his mouth. Bile burned its way up his throat, into his mouth and he shook his head slowly, like a man lost in a dream. But it wasn't a dream. He could still feel Keith's skin against his own, his cock was still hard and aching. It was real. Shiro leapt to his feet, yanking on his boxers. He didn't look back as the doors opened and he ran from the room.   
  
Keith closed his eyes, drifting somewhere inside his head. He was only half aware of what Shiro was doing. Only vaguely aware of the sting of teeth, of the grip of hard, metal fingers into flesh. He let Shiro take. Take and take and take. As much as needed. He waited for it to end, for Shiro to roll off and return to bed in the same strange daze he'd spent the last few days in. But something changed. Keith opened his eyes to see Shiro meet his gaze. He watched as Shiro jerked away as if he'd been burned, a look of horror crossing his face. Keith felt Shiro pull out, the pain too distant to worry him. He wanted to speak, to tell Shiro it was ok but his lips wouldn't move. His tongue was heavy, sticking to the roof of his mouth. His throat hurt from Shiro's fingers around his neck. He could only watch as Shiro scrambled off and away, back hitting the wall. His eyes wide and frantic, exposing too much white. His pupils dilating in his terror. He heard Shiro retch as if from far, far away. Heard him scramble to his feet, snatch up the nearest article of clothing and pull it on. He watched the door open and Shiro's back disappear through it. Keith closed his eyes, whimpering quietly as he rolled onto his side and curled up into a ball.   
  
Keith didn't know how long he lay there. He kept himself curled up, eyes closed as he waited for Shiro to come back and tell him what to do. He wasn't sure if he could wash the blood from between his legs or if he had to finish what they had started. He didn't know. He didn't understand. No one had ever stopped half way and left him. He didn't know what he was supposed to do now and he was too scared to move in case Shiro came back and was angry with him. He curled up tighter, arms pressing against his churning stomach and aching gut. Shiro wasn't as big as the Galra but he was big enough to hurt. He pressed his head against his knees and shook. Naked, alone. He didn't understand. He couldn't understand. He'd been left. Left here...alone...He wanted to know what he'd done wrong, how he could make up for his mistake. Had he been too passive? Had Shiro wanted to listen to his screams? Did he want him to struggle? Shiro hadn't told him. He'd only muttered his name into his ear, lips soft and breath warm. He had hushed him once, when he'd accidentally cried out. Keith could still feel that metal arm there, fingers around his neck like a collar. He whimpered; cold and shivering.   
  
It wasn't Shiro who came for him. It was Allura.  
  
She entered Shiro's room and peered inside, wondering what was happening. Shiro had asked her to go see to Keith, he'd been pale, eyes shadowed and haunted and he had been shaking like a leaf. He'd held on just long enough for Allura to agree before he'd disappeared again. One check on the castle's monitor's told her he'd gone and hidden himself in the corridor where they were keeping Sendak. Her eyes scanned the room, seeing the bed unmade and clothes strewn across it. Then she looked down. Her hands rose to cover her mouth, eyes widening. Keith was lying in a ball on the floor, eyes half-open and glazed in an odd way. He was covered in bruises, scratches and his hair was a mess. Dried blood spotted the backs of his thighs and she could recognise Shiro's hand print imprinted on his skin.   
  
Allura sucked in a sharp breath, reaching out to steady herself on the wall. It smelt musky, like sweat and blood and sex. She stepped into the room, moving cautiously over to Keith, “Keith?” She asked hesitantly, watching him for any sign of movement. “Keith...it's Allura.” She stepped carefully closer, body tense as if she was approaching a wild animal that would lash out at her if she made one false move. “Keith, please,” She bent, crouching beside him and reached out, her fingers hovered above the skin of his arm. Slowly she withdrew, uncertain if she would make it worse if she touched him. “You need to get up, Keith.”  
  
Keith blinked slowly at the wall, he didn't move but he finally managed to speak, “Where's...Shiro...?” he managed to say, voice slurring dangerously like he was drunk. “Need Shiro.”  
  
“Shiro's...” Allura hesitated, licking her lips as she tried not to see the wounds on his skin. “He's sick.” She settled for, “He's sick and can't come back. You need to get up, Keith.”  
  
Keith slowly shook his head, “Can't. Not 'til master says.”  
  
Keith's voice was wrecked and it made something deep inside Allura's chest hurt. She took a steadying breath and rose, “I will go and fetch him, then.”  
  
Keith nodded but didn't watch her leave.  
  
Shiro stared into Sendak's face. Watching his eyelids twitch as he dreamed. He had both hands pressed firmly against the glass, unable to look away. He could hear Sendak's voice inside his head. He could hear him laughing, telling him he was a monster, that they were the same. He reached up, grabbing at his hair and pulling hard enough to send a sting of pain through his scalp. He muttered to himself, eyes snapping closed as he doubled over. His stomach churned. He could see Keith's face behind his closed eyelids, hear his soft little cries of pain. How had he not been able to hear them at the time? How could he have done that? He retched, bending over with one hand on the wall as he emptied the contents of his empty stomach onto the floor. He dropped to his knees, yanking at his hair as his vision blurred. Terror crawled up his throat. His heart hammering violently in his chest. He sobbed, muttering Keith's name over and over until he heard footsteps in the hall. His head snapped up, his arm activating on instinct. He watched a figure approach, it's form blurry until he blinked tears from his eyes. “A-Allura...” He mumbled.  
  
The princess stood a few feet away, her face soft and eyes full of pity. He looked away, disgust worming its way through his guts.   
  
“Keith needs you Shiro,” She said quietly, folding her arms around herself, “He won't respond to any of us. No matter how much you may hate it, he considers you his master. He knows nothing else, only you can help him.”  
  
Shiro shook his head, “I h-hurt him. I...I hurt him. I c-can't...”  
  
Allura moved closer, her skirts dragging across the floor, “You did. But that just means that you have to make amends and that is something you cannot do if you fall to pieces. He needs you to be strong, just as you need him to be strong.”  
  
Shiro swallowed. Slowly lifted his eyes and met Allura's, “He'll never forgive me. I...I'll never forgive me.”  
  
“No. You shouldn't be forgiven for this.” Allura agreed, her eyes turning hard, “But you can move on from it, in time. You can help him now, he needs to get up and get into a pod. He needs a bath and some food.”  
  
Shiro hung his head but somehow managed to climb back to his feet, he averted his eyes from Sendak and followed Allura down the corridor.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am pleasantly surprised that I actually wrote this. I've been struggling so bad with any sort of writing lately. I hope it's ok, and I hope you all enjoy. Thank you for sticking with me.

Shiro stood in his own door way, eyes fixed on Keith. The second the doors had opened Keith had risen and flung himself to his knees, the sound of them hitting the floor had made him wince. His forehead was now pressed to the floor. He was naked, still covered in drying sweat and spots of blood. Shiro wanted to turn away. He needed to run. Instead he held still, pushing his disgust and self hatred as far down as it could go. He smoothed his face out, body automatically shifting into a military stance. “Get up.” He watched Keith climb slowly to his feet. He swayed but remained still, eyes down. “You need a shower, Keith. A shower and then the healing pods. Then I want you to eat something, Hunk will be more than happy to help.”  
  
Keith looked up at him through the rats nest that was his hair, eyes dark but unjudging. He nodded, “Yes sir.” He said, voice low and rough and Shiro had to swallow back the apologies that wanted to spew forth. He knew Keith wouldn't understand.  
  
“Go.” Shiro watched Keith walk towards the wall, he pressed his finger tips to it and it opened to reveal an assortment of odd clothes. Keith grabbed something and a towel before the door hissed shut again.   
  
“Thank you sir.” Keith whispered as he stepped past Shiro and into the hall. Shiro felt his hand rise as Keith passed him, he hesitated before letting it drop back to his side.  
  
The second Keith was gone Shiro gasped. His chest felt too tight as he stumbled towards his rumpled bed and sat down. He put his head in his hands and pressed the palms against his eyes.  
  
Shiro tried to keep his distance from Keith as time went on. The castle got off the ground and they took to the stars once again. He ordered Keith to sleep in his own room.   
  
Keith felt disconnected from his surroundings, every time he tried to initiate contact with Shiro he was brushed aside. Every time he tried to speak, Shiro would refuse to meet his gaze; their exchanges were brief.

 

During dinner Keith took his food goo and sat on the floor, Shiro wouldn't allow him at his feet so he found a place by the door. He went quiet. No one could get anything other than an occasional word from him. Shiro watched Keith drift, his eyes distant and his wrists always bandaged. He took to tearing into his upper arms instead, leaving long red cuts across pale skin. Shiro couldn't look. He couldn't make himself relent and let Keith close again. Shiro sat at the dinner table with the others who talked quietly around him, Allura stared into her food like she was deep in thought while Coran got into a heated debate with Pidge and Hunk about something technical. All the while people shared occasional looks, their eyes moving from Shiro to Keith and back again.  
  
Keith spent as much time as he could on the training deck. While he was training he didn't need to think about anything else, he kept himself distracted; the familiar movements and burn in his muscles were a comfort. His distance from Shiro wore him down, he hated not being able to touch him, to have no orders; nothing to do except wait and hope. Sometimes Hunk would try and engage him in conversation but Keith brushed him off, Lance was happy enough to ignore him. Pidge was busy exploring the new alien tech and discussing things with Coran. Allura watched him, her face inscrutable but Keith made sure to avoid her.   
  
At some point on their journey they received an odd communication. Allura summoned them to the control deck. They arrived and stood around one of the control panels while Allura brought the communication up on screen.  
  
It was a strange string of numbers and Galran letters that made no sense. Pidge was stumped, unable to trace the origin. Keith watched the numbers scroll past and his eyes widened in recognition, “The Blade of Marmora.” He said quickly, pushing Lance aside and getting a closer look. He ignored Lance's whining and felt his heart warm. “It's them! It's Ulaz!”  
  
Shiro blinked and then a smile of his own appeared on his face, “What're they saying?”  
  
“He's giving us coordinates, telling us to meet him.”  
  
“Wait, who's this...Blade of Marmo-whatever?” Lance asked suspiciously, folding his arms across his chest and frowning.  
  
Keith muttered something under his breath, lip curling away from his teeth as he shot Lance a glare over his shoulder. Coran flushed and cleared his throat, “Language, number four.”  
  
“What? What did you say?” Lance glared at Keith, “Did he insult me?”  
  
“I wouldn't like to repeat what he said in polite company...well, any company actually.” Coran replied, twisting his moustache.  
  
“Was it as bad as quiznack?” Hunk asked.  
  
“I _said-”  
  
_ “Keith, enough.” Shiro snapped, causing Keith to drop his head.  
  
“Yes sir, sorry sir.”  
  
“I wanna know what he said! Was it Galran? What's it translate to?” Pidge asked curiously.  
  
“You really don't wanna know.” Shiro assured her with a sigh. “Let's focus now.”  
  
“What are the Blade of Marmora? How can we trust any Galran signal?” Allura asked, cutting off Pidge before she could continue the argument.  
  
“They were the ones who helped me and Keith escape, they're on our side.” Shiro insisted gently, “We have to find them. They can help us.”  
  
“It's Ulaz. I know it is.” Keith insisted, eyes wide as he looked up at Shiro, “We need to go to him.”  
  
Shiro swallowed, seeing the look in Keith's eyes. It was nice to hear him talking again but it took a monumental effort for Shiro to meet his eyes. “We should. We can trust them, Princess.” He agreed and turned his back on Keith.  
  
Keith's eyes drifted back to the floor, he curled his fingers into fists and focussed on his breathing. Zarkon had done many things to him but he had never ignored him. It was a pain that no salve or pod could heal. Nausea sat low in his gut, an ever deepening gulf of emptiness that threatened to swallow him whole.  
  
Allura took some time to bring around but eventually she agreed. Her distrust of Keith had slowly been diminishing, after spending time watching him. He was as much of a victim of the Galra as she was, however, she had no idea how to approach him and try to learn more about him. He was closed off with everyone except Shiro; quiet, angry and deeply sad. She wanted to trust in their judgement but she was still wary of this Ulaz. However, if they planned to make headway in this war with Zarkon then they needed all the help they could get so she put aside her reservations and put her trust in her paladins.   
  
She opened up a wormhole with a breath, watching as the giant portal opened before them. The ship went through and before they knew it they'd been spat out in an apparently empty part of space. A few scans revealed invisible explosive crystals and they spent some time discussing how to navigate through them. Allura was half way into a disagreement with Shiro when the castle's alarms blared. Everyone went onto high alert as Coran told them they had a breach in the shuttle bay. The Paladin's scrambled to go apprehend the intruder, rushing through corridors.  
  
The intruder was stepping out of the shuttle bay when they found him. He was tall, long arms and legs and a strange suit on. It was all black, skin-tight with glowing purple accents. It was Keith who forced everyone to freeze on the spot. He gasped, recognition flashing in his eyes. His bayard returned to it's original form and disappeared. Shiro opened his mouth to order him back but before he could speak Keith ran forward. They watched with increasing confusion as Keith threw himself at the intruder, arms wrapping around their neck and holding on. The impact nearly drove the intruder back but he regained his balance and pulled Keith from him, setting him back on his feet.  
  
“Yorak...” The voice was a little distorted coming through the mask but Shiro instantly recognised it. He ordered the others down and moved forward to greet him.  
  
“Ulaz.” Keith whispered, voice shaking as Ulaz dropped his mask and revealed his face.  
  
“You received my message?”  
  
“We did.” Shiro smiled, holding out his hand, “It's good to see you.”  
  
Ulaz took Shiro's wrist with a small smile, “And you Champion.”  
  
“Wait...did Keith just...hug someone?” Lance asked, arching an eyebrow and glancing at Hunk and Pidge.  
  
“Shiro did say they knew each other.” Pidge reminded Lance, shrugging.  
  
“Yeah but I've never seen him do that...didn't think he even liked to be touched.”  
  
“I had word of strange things happening on the planet Arus, I had a feeling it was you.” Ulaz's mask disappeared and revealed his face as he looked around at everyone, “Is it true? Are the Alteans really back?”  
  
“It's...kinda a long story.” Shiro admitted, “But Princess Allura's waiting.”  
  
Ulaz nodded and lifted a hand, “After you, Shiro.”  
  
Shiro led them all back down the corridor, towards the command deck. Keith followed at a more sedate pace, falling back to walk at Ulaz's side. He ran his thumb over scarred knuckles distractedly, frowning down at the floor. He felt Ulaz's eyes on him but remained silent as they reached the bridge and the doors slid open.  
  
Allura's reception of Ulaz was cold, no one was surprised. They exchanged brief pleasantries before they began discussing the war and the Blade of Marmora. Ulaz explained the order's beginnings in short words, answering all of Allura's probing, suspicious questions. Keith hovered on the edges, eyes flicking from the princess to Ulaz and back again as he scratched idly at his arms. He shifted, the uneasy feeling weighing down his stomach making him restless. Finally Allura dismissed Ulaz, giving him permission to stay as she deliberated his offers of help.  
  
Keith nominated himself as acting guide. He glanced to Shiro for permission, ignoring Allura's agreement. Shiro wasn't watching him so he opened his mouth to ask but felt a firm hand on his elbow. Ulaz guided him towards the door, Keith felt a brief surge of panic, yanking himself free from Ulaz's grip and looking back to Shiro who was now speaking quietly to Allura. Keith swallowed, took a hesitant step forward and waited.   
  
“Yorak,”   
  
Keith winced and turned back to Ulaz who was watching his indecision curiously, “I...I need permission.” He whispered. “From Shiro.”  
  
Ulaz glanced to the Paladins, “May Yorak leave now, Shiro?” He asked, causing Shiro to turn to him in surprise.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Yorak needs direction.” Ulaz replied, “He needs your permission to leave the room.”  
  
“Uh...oh.” Shiro cleared his throat, “Yeah, he can do what he wants.”  
  
Ulaz bowed his head a little and then guided Keith through the doors. Keith followed with his head low. Keith took Ulaz to an unused bedroom and gestured listlessly inside, “This is where you'll be staying.”  
  
Ulaz stepped into the room and looked around curiously, “This technology is ancient...” He muttered, running his fingers over the walls.  
  
“Ulaz?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“I...” Keith's fingers dug into his arm above the sleeve of his jacket, he looked up at Ulaz imploringly, “I wanna go home.” He whispered tightly, panic lending an edge to his voice.  
  
“Home? To earth?”  
  
“No.” Keith shook his head, moving forward so that the door closed behind him, “I wanna go back to Zarkon. I...I miss him.”  
  
Ulaz blinked at him, lips parted in shock, “Yorak...” He began but Keith surged closer, grabbing the front of his suit and shaking him.  
  
“I hate it here. Everything's so... _wrong_. I don't know what I'm doing, everyone hates me and...and Shiro...he's ignoring me. I can't stand it. Take me home, Ulaz.”  
  
“Yorak...” Ulaz grabbed Keith's hands and slowly drew them away from him, he held them in a tight grip and forced Keith to meet his gaze, “If I show my face anywhere near central command again they will kill me. I cannot take you back.”  
  
“But I-” Keith's face twisted and he bowed his head, “Please, help me get out of here then.”  
  
“I can't do that either.” Ulaz sighed, shaking his head. “Zarkon will not accept you back, Keith.” He put soft emphasis on Keith's real name, causing him to suck air through his teeth, “He will take your life as soon as he sets eyes on you. You betrayed him. You betrayed the empire by allowing the Champion to escape.”  
  
Keith trembled, hands curling into fists before he yanked his hands away and backed off, he lifted wide, betrayed eyes to Ulaz and snarled, “Then I'll take red and go back on my own!” He turned on his heel and opened the door. He ignored Ulaz's cursing and the calls of his name as he stormed out of the room and down the hall, heading straight for red's hangar.  
  
By now the others had left the command deck and were returning to their rooms in preperation for dinner. Shiro walked behind Pidge and Hunk, mind elsewhere so when Pidge came to an abrupt halt he almost walked into her. He looked up in surprise to see Keith's back as he raced down the hall. Ulaz hot on his heels. “What's going on?!” Pidge called, causing Ulaz to turn back to them.  
  
“Keith isn't in his right mind. He intends to return to Central Command.” Ulaz said and then broke into a run.  
  
“Why would he wanna go back there? Wasn't he a slave?” Hunk asked in shock.  
  
Pidge was quiet a moment before she curled her hands into fists, “It's called trauma bonding.” She said, her teeth gritted, “Stockholm Syndrome. He's formed a bond with his abuser, he can't see what Zarkon did wrong. He thinks-”  
  
“He loves him.” Shiro finished for her, “He's going to go back to him. We've got to stop him, come on.”  
  
Shiro pushed his way forward and went after Ulaz and Keith. “I don't get it.” Hunk said, staring down the corridor with a pained expression, “Why would he wanna leave?”  
  
“Think about it Hunk,” Pidge shook her head, “Keith's never known anything other than Zarkon. He's been his entire life since he was five years old. And then he's taken from the only home he can really remember and stuck on the opposite side of a war to the man who raised him, who gave him everything. From Keith's perspective he's betraying him just by being here with us.”  
  
“But without the red paladin we can't form Voltron...” Hunk shook his head, “Isn't there anything we can do?”  
  
“I think Shiro can...but he's got to be willing to become Zarkon's replacement in Keith's life. I don't know if he can.”  
  
Shiro followed Ulaz's retreating back as they all dashed towards the hangars, he saw the huge doors hiss open and Ulaz run inside. Shiro followed. Red sat in her little bubble, eyes dark and Keith stood at her feet looking up.   
  
“Yorak!” Ulaz shouted, his voice echoing across the huge room.  
  
Keith curled his hands into fists but didn't turn around, “Just let me go, Ulaz. I've gotta do this.”  
  
“If you do you will die!”  
  
That did make Keith turn, his eyes ablaze with anger, “Victory or Death.” He spat, “Either Zarkon'll kill me or he'll forgive me, either way I'm his.”  
  
Ulaz let out a slow breath, arm rising, “Keith, let's talk about-”  
  
“I'm done talking. Let me go.”  
  
“Keith,” Shiro heard his own voice as if from far away, it made Keith flinch and turn his wide stare onto him. “Keith, please don't do this.”  
  
Keith licked his lips, panic flickering faintly across his face before he wrapped his hand around his wrist and squeezed it so tight his knuckles turned white beneath his gloves, “Sh-Shiro...I have to. I have to go home.”  
  
“Please,” Shiro begged his voice coming out so much softer than he intended, it made Keith shiver and back off. It took Shiro a few moments to realise he was moving forward, drawing close to Keith and effectively trapping him against his lion. So far Red had yet to stir, much to Shiro's relief. “Don't do this. We need you.”  
  
Keith dropped his head, “I obey Zarkon.” He whispered, his voice shaking as much as he was, “I obey the emperor.”  
  
“What of your mother? I can ask Leader if he'll-”  
  
“No. That won't work this time.” Keith shot Ulaz a sharp glare, “If she really cared she would've come for me earlier...she could've saved me before-” Keith's voice broke and he grit his teeth, cutting himself off. “She didn't save me. I...I had to survive...all on my own...”  
  
“You did.” Shiro said quietly, “And you're so strong Keith, stronger than anyone I've ever known.”  
  
Keith swallowed, a lump scraping painfully at his throat, “Then...then why...why are you...rejecting me? If I'm so strong why did you abandon me?”  
  
Shiro froze, heart leaping into his throat as Keith fixed him with a stare, “I...I didn't...”  
  
“You've barely said a word to me, Shiro.” Keith's voice hitched, chest rising and falling too rapidly as he pushed his fingers beneath the sleeve of his jacket and started to scratch at the scars there. “I just...wanna know what I did wrong. Am I...am I really that broken? Do I disgust you? Why did you send me away?”  
  
“Keith...” Shiro's own voice hitched, a familiar burning settling into his throat, he lifted a hand but Keith's flinch made him drop it again. His fingers curled into fists, “I...I'm so sorry.” He swallowed, closing his eyes, “I'm so sorry, Keith.”  
  
“Why?” Keith sounded confused, his voice trembling as much as he was, “Why are you saying that?”  
  
Shiro opened his mouth, shut it again and sucked in a breath. He reached out, grabbing Keith's hands in his own and squeezed them, “I raped you.” He breathed shakily, unable to meet Keith's gaze, “I...I hurt you. I took advantage of you. I...I'm sorry...”  
  
Keith looked down at their clasped hands, seeing how Shiro shook as much as he did, “You can't.” He whispered, “You can't rape me.” He finally looked up, “You took what I was already more than willing to give.”  
  
Shiro sucked in a sharp breath, shaking his head, “No.”  
  
“You don't understand because...because humans don't have slaves. But Shiro, I wanted you. You can't rape the willing.”  
  
“I hurt you. You shut down...I...”  
  
“You never told me what to do. I didn't know how to respond. I...” Keith pulled his hands away from Shiro's like he'd been burned, he rubbed them and backed away until his back hit the red lions paw. “I have to go home. You...you can't be my master. You never were...Shiro, I'm sorry.” Keith turned away and the red lion shifted in response, finally coming alive under Keith's gentle fingers.  
  
“Keith wait!” Shiro begged, “Don't go. Please. We need you. I...” _I need you,_ he swallowed back those words and clamped his mouth shut. “Stay with us.”  
  
“I belong to the Empire, I belong to Zarkon.” Keith replied as Red lowered her head to the ground and Keith prepared to climb inside.  
  
“Stop.” Shiro demanded, reacting without thought as panic surged through him.  
  
Keith froze. Staring at the lions lower jaw, eyes wide.  
  
“You're not going anywhere.” Shiro gasped, breathing as if he was running a marathon as panic and self disgust wormed its way through his gut, “You belong here, with me...” He swallowed back bile, face twisting as he closed his eyes, “You're mine.”  
  
Keith shuddered, finally turning with a stunned look of disbelief on his face.  
  
“Come here.” Shiro finally opened his eyes, finger tips tingling as Keith edged back away from the lion. He shuffled closer, wary like a scared animal. Shiro lifted his galra arm and beckoned him. Keith drew close, eyes on Shiro's face. He reached him and slid to his knees. “I'm...yours?” He asked, almost breathless with fear and hope.  
  
“Yeah. You're mine.”  
  
Keith closed his eyes when he felt Shiro's metal fingers brush his cheek, he turned his head and pressed his mouth to the palm. “Thank you.” He breathed.  
  
Shiro wanted to tell him not to thank him but he knew it'd be pointless, he swallowed back the sick feeling it gave him to see Keith on his knees and let his hand fall to his side. “Come on, let's go get some food.” He turned away and heard Keith rise.  
  
“Yes sir,”  
  
Shiro closed his eyes against the ache in his chest and strode past Ulaz and back towards the dining hall.

 


End file.
